I Dream of the Ocean and I See Myself Die
by Blood Thirsty Me
Summary: She twitched and whimpered in fear every time she slept. All he did was watch and wonder what the nightmare was about this time. Rated for language and future situations. KisameXOC and hints of ItaSasu.
1. Found You

I Dream of the Ocean and I See Myself Die.

**Story Summary: "Every time I dream of the ocean, I'm gasping for air. I swim to the surface, and just before I can get some air, something grabs my ankle and pulls me back down. Then, just before I drown, it eats me."**

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**Setting: Naruto universe…I guess before any of the Akatsuki members die…I don't know and I don't really care :p. I wrote this just for the hell of it. **

**Pairing(s?): KisameXOC (not a Mary-Sue, I swear!). Hints of ItaSasu…other pairings may show up and will be mentioned before chapters.**

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**Author's Note: This chapter is supposed to be short. I just want to see how many people are interested in seeing more chapters. So…yeah.**

Chapter One: Found you.

There was no wind today. Even though there had been numerous wild gusts throughout the morning, there was no more this afternoon. The sun was shining down upon the earth below, the clear sky allowing the living creatures to soak in the warm beams. Two figures dressed in black cloaks walked under the sun, one of them wishing the breeze would pick up again or that a cloud would block the sun's rays. The other was still half asleep from almost overexerting himself in battle and couldn't care less if it were too hot or too cold in his cloak. The two of them followed the beaten path under their feet, taking their time in getting to their destination. With small foliage, and the occasional oak tree, on both sides of the road, the two cloaked men kept walking without even glancing at the scenery.

Another figure walked down the path towards the two figures. They both noticed the presence of the other being before they even saw what it looked like. The chakra that emitted from it was small and untamed. A newbie at jutsus and probably combat in general.

At first they both thought that the figure was a young male; but when the gap between the three of them became smaller, they noticed that "he" had hips. Though, it had been hard to notice that feminine feature since she was marching instead of swaying her hips back and forth like most women do. As they got closer, both men took mental notes of the girl in case she decided to attack:

She had a headband tied around her neck with the Kirigakure symbol carved into the metal plate. Her brown hair was short; practically border lining a boy's haircut, but it was parted so that her hair covered her left eye. A grey and red striped tank-top covered her already small chest, making the girl seem even more like a guy, and didn't cling onto her. A black leather belt held up her tan shorts, which seemed to have belonged to a male at some point, and allowed a kunai bag to be hooked onto her hip. Black leggings covered up her exposed calves and disappeared underneath a pair of black boots. And finally, the girl wore thin fingerless black gloves upon her hands.

The two figures took note that she wasn't the usual prissy little girl that they usually stumble upon. Hell, the girl didn't even walk; she _marched_. The two men made sure not to look at the girl when she glanced at them. Though the larger of the two figures noticed she had brown and green eyes that seemed tired. The only makeup she wore was the black eyeliner under her eyes, which had obviously been smudged by a hand or finger recently.

They continued to walk, even though they heard the girl stop in her marching. It was best to ignore strangers. As long as she didn't attack them, the two had no quarrel with her. And so, the two Akatsuki members walked on, solely focused on their destination ahead.

* * *

She looked up at the two men as they walked passed each other. What she saw shocked her into excitement and disbelief. Her feet even stopped walking as her brain tried to convince that what she had just seen was real.

The shorter of the two men was pale and good looking at first glance. She couldn't tell how tall he was due to his hat, but his eyes were red and seemed void of all emotion. The scratched headband he wore told her that he had been banned from Konohagakure. His black hair seemed to be long, but because of the cloak, she couldn't tell how long it was. Normally any teenaged girl, like herself, who saw such a man would swoon or blush at his features. And perhaps even begin to fantasize about him touching her in such erotic ways. But not her. Her mind wasn't focused on the handsome man, but his companion.

The other man had dull blue skin, and looked older than his shorter companion. There were gill-like markings on both of his cheeks, and his white eyes seemed to be lusting for blood. She had seen his short blue hair beneath the hat he wore, which was identical to his companion's. And though his hair color was unnatural, it looked nice to her. Everything about the man reminded the girl of a shark; a Great White Shark to be exact. He seemed unpredictable, frightening, and aggressive. Most people probably ran in fear of him, and he would be the last thing a teenaged girl would fantasize about. However, this girl was excited to see that oddly colored man. And as soon as she saw the great sword that he carried on his back, she knew she had found him.

She had finally found Hoshigaki Kisame.


	2. Pest

Chapter Two: Pest.

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**Author's Note: Here's chapter two! This story first started out a doujinshi, but once I got to a part that required lots of symmetrical building drawings, I stopped XD. Maybe I'll redraw it and post it on my DA…if I do I'll post the links on my profile and tell you in future chapters. **

**Thank you for the reviews, favorites, and alerts! I really appreciate them! Now, please enjoy chapter two!**

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"Wait!" They both heard a voice cry out from behind. "Please! Wait for just a second!" It was that girl they had passed. If any of them had had any doubts of her gender, her voice definitely proved that she was, indeed, a female. But it wasn't the first time the two men had come across a human whose gender was difficult to tell by without asking them to remove their pants.

Kisame, the larger of two figures, glanced at his partner and asked with impatience, "Hey, Itachi-san? May I slice her open?" Usually, Kisame wouldn't attack a girl (since it's rude) without a reason. But he was still giddy from their last mission. But now that they were headed toward a crowded town, he really needed to let off the rest of his fighting hunger. The last he would want to have happen in town is the two of them getting out of their ASAP because he couldn't stay calm during a random quarrel.

Itachi silently rolled his eyes at his partner's violent request. "No. Just ignore it. It'll go away soon." The Uchiha was actually quite irritated that his violent partner kept asking such questions every time someone wanted to try to talk to them. But he kept the emotion hidden, just like he did with the rest of them, and kept walking.

The two were silent even as the girl behind them was close to catching up and though she kept asking them to wait. But then, she said something that made both S-ranked criminals pause in short confusion:

"Hoshigaki Kisame! Please wait!"

Kisame was the first one to stop. How the hell did she know his name? She was a Kirigakure kunoichi, and he knew for a fact that the academies and teachers there do not teache their students about _any_ of the infamous Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. It was then that the blue Akatsuki member kept his senses on high alert. Perhaps she was a spy of some kind for ANBU squads? Or a distraction of some sort?

Either way, talking to this girl could lead to trouble.

Itachi hissed to his partner warningly, "Kisame…we need to _go_."

And, normally, the big man would have obeyed. Normally, he would have said, "Sorry. You got the wrong guy," and walk off with the Uchiha. But normally, whenever a girl wishes to talk to the two of them, she's focused only on Itachi. Which was understandable since the Uchiha was handsome and pale, apparently the way most women liked their men nowadays.

But _this_ girl wanted to talk to _him_, Hoshigaki Kisame. The discolored and uglier of the two. And well, she was _kind of_ cute…

Kisame whispered back to his partner, "Don't worry, this won't take long." A grumble came from Itachi, but he ignored it. Maybe he wouldn't kill this girl after all…maybe he'll just slice open her hamstrings if Itachi will let him. He turned to face the girl, who stood four feet away from him, and spoke. "What do you want?"

"You're Hoshigaki Kisame. Right?" she asked timidly. It was faint, but he could tell that she was shaking. Whether it was out of fear, nervousness, or from the lack of energy was unknown to the man.

Her question was a dangerous one to answer. If he said "yes" anything could happen. She could spring an ambush of some sort. Or even turn out to be an ANBU in disguise. But then again, why would he care? He's an S-ranked criminal! Ambushes and surprise attacks are no problem. And if he said "no" there was no way she could prove him wrong. It's not like he had blue skin, or shark-like features, or a giant sword strapped to his back.

…

Damn it! Why couldn't he look like everyone else?

Kisame grumbled to himself before answering her. "Yes."

A proud smirk raked across her face as the girl reached for the pack that was strapped to her belt. _That figures,_ the large man said inside of his head as he reached for Samehada's handle. Just as his hand tightened around the rough weapon, the girl yanked two items out of the pack and…

Began to write something down in the little brown-covered notebook she had pulled out with that smug little smirk still on her face. The S-ranked criminal mentally hit himself for being so paranoid. Of course this little girl wouldn't attack him! Her chakra supply was small and untamed. Even if she had wanted to fight, surely she would have used sneak attacks or ambushes instead.

The girl stopped writing and held her pencil up to her chin before looking at him again. "Hoshigaki-sama? Did you know that you're the only Swordsman who's still alive?"

That comment made Kisame interested in what this girl might have to say. "Really?"

"Mm-hm!" She nodded and looked at her notebook again. "Everyone else was killed..." her brow furrowed as she flipped a page, "Though there are a few whose bodies I haven't seen yet…"

A researcher. That's all this girl was. There was a bit of relief in Kisame, but one thing bothered him: He was the only one of the Seven Swordsman still breathing. The fact seemed impossible to even consider! His six other companions were ruthless and power-hungry, just like he was. There was no way they could be killed. But even so, he wanted to know if a certain ex-teammate was deceased yet.

"How did Momichi Zabuza die?" he asked the girl. She looked at him, a bit surprised by his request, but went back to turning the pages in her notebook until she found the right page.

"Momichi Zabuza. Died at the age of twenty-six at the hands of a bunch of hired gang men. Witnesses say he had a battle with a Konohagakure shinobi name Hatake Kakashi before he was killed." Then the girl's face saddened and her voice lowered, "He was buried next to his companion, Haku. Last name is unknown." She sighed, "I guess Zabuza-sama couldn't go on without Haku-san…"

Laughter broke out of Kisame. "HAHAHA! I always knew that bastard would die for someone else! He always was a softy on the inside." Of course, that wasn't what had made the Akatsuki member laugh out loud. It was the fact that this girl, who didn't even know Zabuza, felt sympathy for him. Oh, how easy it was to make women emotional! It was hilarious!

"Oh wow," she mumbled as his laughter began to subside, "you're so…nice."

"Kisame!" Itachi snapped. His patience was on a very thin line now. "We need to go. _Now_."

Without any hesitation, or without even saying goodbye to the girl, Kisame turned and walked with his companion.

* * *

The girl reached out feebly for the infamous Hoshigaki Kisame and called out, "Hey wait! I need to ask you some questions!" But the two men ignored her and kept walking. She grumbled as their figures began to get smaller as they kept walking further and further away. There was no way they would stop for her again. It was a miracle that they did the first time. God, she had been waiting for this moment! To finally talk to one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist!

Even though it was forbidden in her country to research such criminals she had done it anyway. Their stories were just so…interesting! But in all her research, none of the scrolls told her why they had betrayed Kirigakure. And that was what compelled her to go looking for them. She wanted to get their side of what happened; especially since she already knew that the Mizukage liked to hide important information from his followers and manipulate situations.

She had almost given up hope when she had found out most of the Seven Swordsmen were already dead. In fact she was just about to mark off Hoshigaki Kisame as deceased until she found him. There was no way she was going to just walk back home now. This could be her final opportunity to talk with him.

Once the girl had put her notebook and pencil away, she began to follow the two men, doing her best to keep her distance and to stay unnoticed.

* * *

Itachi knew the girl was following them. At first he had hoped she would stop. But now they were just a few miles from their destination, and she had yet to cease in her "stalking". He was starting to get agitated. If only his partner hadn't have talked to her. If they had just kept going and ignored her, like he had suggested before, this girl wouldn't haven been interested in them. But no! Kisame had to talk to her instead. The Uchiha grumbled to himself and made a mental note to tell his partner to find a whore in the town if he was that eager to have female companionship tonight.

"She's following us," Itachi whispered to Kisame.

"I know," he replied.

The two men kept facing forward like they had always been doing and made sure the collars of their cloak hid their lips from view.

"Make her stop." The Uchiha ordered the man.

"Already working on it." Itachi could hear the wicked grin in Kisame's voice. He could see his partner's blue hands making the tiger hand symbol. Good thing they had passed a little pond, otherwise he wouldn't be able to make a water clone.

* * *

She hid behind a bush, looking at the backs of the two men she had been following. For two highly skilled shinobi, they were really bad at detecting another person's presence. A sloshing noise came from the pond behind her, causing the girl to pry her eyes from the men and look over her shoulder. A blue fist came rushing towards her face and made the girl squeak in surprise as she jumped out into the road and away from her attacker.

A water clone of Hoshigaki Kisame came rushing at her; and this time, she couldn't avoid the attack. The clone lunged forward, faking another punch, and side-kicked the girl in the gut. All the wind rushed out of her body as the impact pushed her back against a tree. The clone didn't even give her time to slump to the ground below. It crushed its elbow into her stomach, keeping her propped up against the tree. Then, with its free hand, the clone pulled out a very real kunai knife from her pack and held it to her throat.

The girl winced at the pain in her gut and stared down at the kunai in fear. She could feel the sharp edge dig through a layer of skin, causing her blood to seep onto the polished blade.

The clone looked up at her and growled, "Why are you following us?"

She was afraid to speak. If she moved her throat, the blade might dig deeper into her throat. Oh god, she could die if she talked too much. "Please," she whispered, doing her best not to move her throat too much, "I just…wanted to ask you some questions. I meant no harm. Please, just let me go. I won't follow you anymore. Please…please."

The clone huffed and pulled the kunai away from her throat and took its elbow from her gut, allowing her to fall to her hands and knees. She coughed and used her left hand to put pressure over the wound. "Follow us again," it warned, "and I'll kill you."

"I understand," she mumbled, feeling more blood seep onto her fingers every time she breathed or talked.

"If I find out," it added, "that you told _them_ anything about mine or my partner's whereabouts," it paused to chuckle sadistically, "then I'll torture you until you're begging for death."

Shivers ran through her spine at the threat. The girl looked at the clone, which was beginning to walk away from her, the kunai still in its hand, and called out, "Who's _them_?"

The water clone didn't pause in its steps or even turn to look at her when it replied, "You'll find out soon."

The girl kept watching the clone until she couldn't see it anymore. She brought her left hand out in front of her. Blood stained her fingers and black glove. The color had always fascinated her. Even if someone's guts were spilled out in front of her, the blood would have her full attention and she would even be tempted to reach out and smother her entire body in it.

The girl ran her blood-stained fingers through the wound once more, getting fresh blood from her throat, and brought it up to her lips.

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Kisame twirled the kunai knife around his index finger, the girl's blood doing its best to stay on the metal weapon. Their destination was in clear view now. Just a few more yards and they would be there.

"You let her live," Itachi stated.

The older man stopped the kunai knife from spinning and smirked, "There was no need to kill her. All that was needed," he brought the kunai knife up to his lips, "was a little intimidation."

And though they couldn't see what the other was doing, nor were they aware of it, both the S-ranked criminal and the kunoichi licked the blood from the object that they held before their mouths.


	3. Whose Sister?

Chapter Three: Whose Sister?

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**Author's Note: GAH! I hated writing this chapter! I couldn't figure out how it should go without Kisame being OOC…GAH! Thanks for the reviews and all that other stuff! But DAMN IT! I'm still PISSED at this chapter….grrr…*sits in corner and stabs Hidan's hand.***

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A month had gone by after the incident with the girl. Both criminals had pushed the memory to the back of their heads, where it stayed buried and undisturbed. There were other things they needed to focus on other than "lady-looks-like-a-dude"; such as collecting payment from someone who had hired them to kill his wife and her lover. After all, looking for the Jinchuuriki wasn't all the Akatsuki members are assigned to do. Since a certain money grubbing Akatsuki member wouldn't shut up about "we're never going to have enough money when the time calls for it", the leader decided to hand out assassination assignments, and other such criminal things, to the S-ranked criminals in the organization. Usually if any of them needed anything at all they would steal it if they didn't have it already. And some of them still do since they're given a certain amount of money to travel with.

The Uchiha and his partner walked through the crowded streets of the town. Their hire was supposedly waiting for them in a bar of some sort. Kisame touched his partner's arm, just slightly, and pointed out the man they were looking for. He was sitting on a stool with a bottle of sake in his tiny hands. The man was short, even when he was sitting on a stool, and seemed very timid. His leg wouldn't stop moving even as the two Akatsuki members walked up to him.

The short man looked up at them with drunken eyes. He reeked of alcohol and of drugs. It made Kisame wonder if the little guy even had their pay.

"Please," the man smiled up at the two larger men and gestured to the empty sits at the bar. His voice was high-pitched, his teeth were crooked, and his lips were chapped to the point of splitting open if he smiled too much. "Sit down." Itachi sat on the left side of the man while Kisame sat on the opposite side. The blue man could hear the little man gulp nervously and faced forward, drinking down another mouthful from his sake bottle.

"Do you have the money?" Itachi grumbled, still facing forward and acting casual. A waiter came up to the Uchiha from behind the counter and asked if he wanted anything to drink. The criminal mumbled, "No thanks. We won't be here long." And with that, the waiter hurriedly went over to a different group of customers.

The tiny man eyed the waiter suspiciously before whispering, "Did you kill them off?" Kisame didn't need any instructions from his partner to know what he was supposed to do now. The blue man had been carrying a thickly layered sack beneath his cloak. He brought the sack out and opened it beneath the counter to show the little man its contents. As soon as the man had seen the heads of his wife and her lover he turned away and began to cough into his arm, obviously trying not to puke at the sight. Kisame merely stuffed the sack back into his cloak, unaffected by the smell of rotting flesh and drying blood.

"Do you have the money?" Itachi repeated.

The little man began to shake even more now as he began to rummage through the pocket in his pants. He pulled out a wallet and pulled out all its contents. There must have been twenty bills in his hand, which he then passed over to Itachi, who proceeded to count the money.

"Well," the man licked his chapped lips and gulped down another mouthful of sake, "I'll just be on my way now." Just as he turned to leave, the Uchiha grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back. Kisame then pulled out a kunai knife and placed the pointed tip lightly against the man's leg, making sure the weapon couldn't be seen by any on-lookers.

The man tensed up as Itachi removed his hand from his shoulder. "There's only five-hundred yen here." Again, the little hire licked his chapped lips and began to shake uncontrollably. Sweat began to run down his frightened face as his wide eyes darted from the kunai to Itachi. "You were supposed to give us eight-hundred."

"Wuh-we-well," he chuckled uneasily, "I must have, uh,_ miscounted_ when I brought the cash with me."

"Miscounted?" Kisame could practically hear Itachi raise a suspicious eyebrow at the man's excuse.

"Ye-yeah. Miscounted."

"By three-hundred yen?" Itachi shook his head, "That's a bit unbelievable."

Kisame was beginning to get giddy. This man had screwed up. Whenever someone doesn't hold their end of the deal with the Akatsuki, they usually pay up with a body part. But in a situation like this, the man was going to pay the rest of that three-hundred yen with his life. The blue man couldn't wait to pluck this pathetic little man's eyeballs out.

"It was early in the morning!" the hire began to spew out excuses, "I-I-I can't think straight in the morning! If you'll let me go back to my house, I'll get you the rest of the money—hey, what're you doing?" Itachi had yanked the bottle of sake from the man's grip and examined it. The little guy tried to reach out for it, but Kisame just pushed the kunai through his pants and stopped as the point touched the man's skin.

The Uchiha sniffed the opening at the top of the bottle. "You poured some expensive sake into this dirty ol' bottle," he commented, "Now why would you do that?"

Their hire gulped and Kisame couldn't help but cackle, "May I cut him Itachi-san?"

The little man snapped his head at the blue criminal in fear. He then looked at the better looking of the two and pleaded, "Please, just…let me go back to my house and I'll get you the rest of your money! I swear!"

"These guys botherin' ya Vinni?" a gruff voice growled from behind.

Neither Kisame nor Itachi turned to look at the man behind them. "We're just doing some business, Sir," Kisame spoke up.

"Uh-huh," the man huffed, "Last I checked, your name wasn't Vinni."

Itachi glared at their hire while Kisame dug the kunai deeper into the man's leg, piercing through the skin. Vinni let out a sharp squeak, causing Kisame to pull the kunai back under his sleeve just as the man behind him yanked him back, causing the criminal's hat to fall from his head. He stumbled onto his feet and faced the man before him.

He was about as big as Kisame was, but had more tattoos on his skin. The guy wore a leather vest and baggy pants. He was backed up by two other men, who were smaller and scrawnier than him. This was perfect! A bar fight! Now Kisame was really eager for a fight to break out.

* * *

A month had passed since she had encountered Hoshigaki Kisame and his companion. That blue face had remained in her head and so did his threat.

"_Follow us again, and I'll kill you."_

A shiver went down her spine and she rubbed her arms with her covered hands. It made her wish she had a sweater of some sort to cover herself with. The threat also reminded her of the fading scar on her neck. Her fingers lightly traced it as the lady at the counter handed her a plastic bag full of bars and a bottle of water. Before the wound was a scar, it was a scab and it had taken a lot of will power for the girl to not pick at it. To peel away that disgusting layer of skin to let more blood flow down to her collar bone. But she resisted and now the scar was barely noticeable. The girl paid the lady the right amount before leaving the little department store.

Across the street was an open bar. She didn't drink alcohol so it wasn't the smell of fresh sake or cigarette smoke that tempted the girl to look at the place. Someone was about to start a fight. She heard someone being pulled off a stool and small jingling noise followed. As soon as she saw the blue hair the girl hid herself in the darkness of an alley. She couldn't let him see her. What were the odds of her meeting up with Hoshigaki Kisame again? _Very_ small! If he saw her here, he would definitely think that she had been following him and would kill her!

God fucking damn it!

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, FUCK!" she hissed as she continued to watch the scene across from her. Kisame seemed ready to fight at any moment, but his partner didn't. He seemed to be more reasonable than the Swordsman was.

An idea occurred in the girl's head. She pulled out her notebook, tore out a piece of paper, and began to write a short note on it.

* * *

"Kisame," Itachi hissed to his partner, "this is not the time to start a bar fight."

"I didn't start it," Kisame argued, "He did."

"And I'm gonna finish it," the man growled, "If you guys don't leave." Kisame wanted to hit the man. Now Itachi definitely wouldn't let him fight! Just like he predicted, Itachi gave the man a curt nod and began to turn away from the situation.

"Let's go Kisame."

"Wait!" Vinni called out. Itachi turned to see what the short man wanted and was irritated by what he had to say, "Those thieves have my five-hundred yen!"

"You little…" Kisame growled and gripped Samehada's handle as the man in leather shifted into a fighting stance. Itachi made no move to stop his partner. Finally! Time to fight!

Just as he was about to pull Samehada from its holding and slice the man in front of him into little ribbons, a girl screeched out, "NO! DON'T DO IT ANIKI!" at first, the blue Akatsuki member thought the girl belonged to his opponent. But his theory was shut down when he felt a pair of arms wrap around his chest and pull him against a very feminine body.

Now, Hoshigaki Kisame was _very_ sure that he had no siblings. So he figured that whoever this lady was is either drunk, high on drugs, or insane.

But when he turned his head to see who had claimed him as their "Aniki" he saw a female version of himself. She had blue skin, her blue hair was longer and in pig-tails, her white eyes were bigger, and she even had the gill markings on her cheeks. Her face was round and her body was thin. Of course her chest area was bigger than his was, and her black dress clung to her curves and showed off her legs. High-heels made the top of her head about level with his nose, but for some reason she smelled very familiar…

"Please Aniki," she begged in the most pathetic voice he had ever heard. "Don't fight…not again…"

The girl had stopped everything. The men who had been ready to beat the shit out of Kisame and Itachi were standing in a stupor, wondering what they should do with this girl in the way. She looked up at the man in the leather vest and began to talk in that little voice, "Please forgive my aniki! He thinks fighting is the only way he can solve problems." She released Kisame from the hug and took a step forward. Her little hand gripped the Akatsuki member's bigger one in a dramatic way as she spoke, "Ever since our parents disappeared, that's how he's always acted."

It was then that Kisame felt a piece of paper press against his palm. She was handing him a note. He gripped it, pulled his hand away from hers, and looked away as if ashamed of what she was saying. As to not raise suspicion, the blue man crossed his arms when he unfolded the paper. Written in pencil were the words:

_**I'll distract them.**_

Great. Another person who wants kill his violence buzz. Kisame crumpled the paper and was planning on throwing it away until Itachi cleared his throat. Reluctantly, he passed the little ball to his partner and looked away. The girl posing as his sister had gotten closer to the group of thugs, obviously using her "girly wits" to distract them.

"Look, uh, Miss," the man in leather spoke up first, "We didn't mean to upset you, but your brother—"

"No, I understand!" The girl covered her eyes with her hand and sniffled, "What my aniki did was wrong. But I just can't stand the thought of him being in jail! I'm the only one who knows this, but on the inside, Aniki is just a nice lil' teddy bear!"

Kisame felt his eye twitch at what she said. A teddy bear? A freakin' _teddy bear_!? He didn't care who this person was, he really couldn't wait to beat the shit out of them!

Itachi had finished reading the note for he had cleared his throat once again to get his partner's attention. The Uchiha made slight nodding gestures toward the street, indicating that they should go now. Kisame made a reluctant face; he really just wanted to punch one of these guys in the nose, mostly the one who was pretending to be his sister. But his partner gave him a cold glare and made one curt nod at the road. The blue Akatsuki member grumbled to himself and nodded reluctantly.

The person posing as Hoshigaki Kisame's sister kept talking to the group of thugs, even as the two S-ranked criminals left the town unnoticed.

* * *

She knew they had left, but she had kept talking to the greasy thugs and acting like the victim in the situation. After all, it would seem suspicious if she had left as soon as Hoshigaki Kisame and his partner had. Finally, she had gotten her fill of tolerating such gross men and began to make her way out of the bar.

"Well, if you'll excuse me," she smiled at them innocently, "I need to go back home."

The man in the leather vest gave her a disappointed look, "Aw, why? Stay for a drink!"

She waved her hand dismissively, "Oh no thank you. I don't like alcohol."

"But—" the men started, but she was already walking out of the bar and onto the street.

"Bye!" she called back to them, waving a lazy hand. She was walking very fast compared to most people, but that was how she always walked. But now that she was trying to get away from that bar it seemed like she was about to shift into a jog. Her body was shaking and her chakra threatened to release its hold on the disguise it had made for her. That had been the first time she had done something so…_degrading_. It made her sick, and she wanted nothing more than to drop her transformation jutsu, but she knew she couldn't. Not until she had found Hoshigaki Kisame and his partner. There was no way she was going to let them off without getting something from them for her deed.

She bumped into someone and didn't hear her brown notebook fall out of her pack. "Oh!" she exclaimed, "I'm sorry!"

"It's okay," the man grumbled, but she was already gone. She didn't see the man kick at the ground idly before picking up her notebook. She didn't see him flip through the pages briefly before stopping on the page where she had written the information she had gathered from the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. Nor did she see the Oinin mask that was hidden beneath the man's shirt.

* * *

"I could've killed them," Kisame stated as he and his partner walked away form the town.

Itachi said nothing.

"_We_ could've wiped out that whole town!" the blue criminal added. He was mad that he didn't get to fight. If that poser hadn't have stepped in, he could be ripping someone's organs out by now!

"But that wasn't our assignment," Itachi mumbled, his eyes holding no emotion. "It would be best if we didn't attract any attention to ourselves." Kisame grumbled loudly, his hands clenching into fists. He really needed to let out his fighting mood right now; otherwise he'd be in a foul mood for a long time.

The two men walked on in silence until, surprisingly, Itachi broke it. "So," the Uchiha started, "does your little sister wear tight clothes often?" It was obvious that he was joking around, which was a rare thing for him to do. But it seemed to have lightened Kisame's mood.

"Hey," the blue man warned in good humor, "I don't know who she was. But if you want her, you can have her."

A light chuckle came from the Uchiha and Kisame could have sworn he saw a smile on the younger man's face. If there had been a smile, it was replaced by a frown when they heard a familiar little voice call out to them.

"Hey! Wait up!"

Speak of the devil, it was her.

Both men grumbled and kept on walking, doing their best to ignore her. The poser ran ahead and stopped right in front of them, blocking their path, with her hands on her hips. They stopped in front of her as she glared at the two S-ranked criminals before her.

"Can we help you, _dear sister_?" Kisame asked with a hint of sarcasm. He was doing his best to restrain himself from grabbing her throat and snapping her windpipe in half. He'd show her who was a "teddy bear" by the time he was through with her intestines.

The girl smiled and returned the sarcasm, "Why yes you can, _Aniki_." She cut to the chase after that, "I wanna make a deal with you guys."

"We don't make deals with people who hide behind jutsu." Itachi stated coldly.

She blinked and looked at her hand, "Oh! Right," she clasped her hands together and whispered, "Kai!" before a cloud of smoke enveloped her. She coughed and waved the dispersing smoke from her face. "Ugh, I hate that smoke." Her voice wasn't as pathetic or little as before, but Kisame still recognized it. And who she was.

Without hesitation, the older man pulled Samehada from his back and swung it at her. The girl in the striped tank-top gasped and jumped to the side, avoiding the blow completely. Samehada crashed into the ground, causing bits of dirt and rock to erupt from the ground.

"Wh-what are you doing!?" she exclaimed at Kisame as the man swung the great sword at her again.

"I told you!" He growled in anger when he missed again. The girl was quicker than he thought. He swung Samehada at her again, "I would kill you if you followed us again!"

"I wasn't following you!" she screeched out, ducking beneath the wrapped sword just as it passed over her head, and then jumped back to get out of reach.

"Bullshit!" Kisame snarled. God damn it! Why can't she be still for just a few seconds!?

Itachi just stood still and watched the scene before him. It was quite amusing to watch, but he made sure his face didn't express his amusement. He would wait until Kisame got a few more swings in before he stopped him. After all, the girl did stop them from creating a scene, and for that, Itachi was a bit thankful to her. It wouldn't hurt to hear what she wants.

A tan bird perched itself on the Uchiha's shoulder and ruffled its clay wings. Tied onto its leg was a small note. Itachi took the note and unraveled it. It was instructions from Leader-sama. He finished the note just in time to see that the clay bird had started to puff out as if getting ready to explode. It was then that Itachi knew how he would effectively stop Kisame from decapitating the girl.

Kisame swung Samehada at her one more time and had just missed the tip of her nose. The girl stumbled backwards and fell on her butt. Now he had her. The man hunched over and grinned at her. "Now I've got you!" But before he could pull his sword back for one more swing, an oversized bird was thrown in between him and the girl. The bird kept growing until it looked like it was about to explode…

Which was exactly what it was about to do…

The blue man jumped backwards, trying to get as far away from the exploding bird as possible. The girl saw him jump away, and in an effort to protect herself for what was about to come, turned her back to the bird and crouched down, making sure that her head was covered. The clay bird exploded and bits of confetti flew out from the explosion, slowly drifting to the ground.

The girl stood up, surprised at what had just happened. "Whoa…what _was_ that?"

"Exactly what it looked like," Itachi commented. "Kisame?"

The blue criminal looked at his partner, "Yeah?"

"She wasn't following us," he stuffed the little note into a pocket before continuing. "Figure out what this girl wants _without_ using violence," the younger man ordered. "It's the least we could do to show our thanks."

"What!?" Kisame looked at his partner in disbelief.

"You believe me?" The girl looked at Itachi with a suspicious gleam in her eye.

"Yes." Was all he said to the girl.

"But!" Kisame began to protest. He didn't want to be stuck with this girl! "Why do I have to—"

"Because," the younger man interrupted, "I just got a new assignment from Leader-sama that I need to do alone. Start making your way back to the hideout until another one of Deidara's birds finds you."

"But--!" Kisame tried to argue again, but his partner was already running away from them. Well this was great. Just _great_. Now he was stuck with this girl and had to negotiate with her. At least he was able to let off some steam when he was trying to hit her with Samehada.

The man grumbled, putting Samehada back on his back, and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Alright, what do you want?"

The girl smiled and replied, "I want to travel with you."

_Yay_.

"Why?" he looked at her like she was crazy. Of all the people she could follow and bother she had to pick him. Usually he wouldn't complain about a girl wanting to follow him around. But _this_ girl had mocked him in a bar _and_ interrupted the bar fight! Surely she was an annoying little bugger.

"So I can ask you some questions," she kept smiling at him. God, why did she have to smile? Why couldn't she be afraid of him like most normal people were!?

He grumbled again. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't use violence; Itachi forbade it. And the last thing he wanted was to go against Itachi's word. Of all the people he was afraid to be up against in a fight, Uchiha Itachi was on the top of Kisame's list. "Fine," he exhaled heavily through his nose. He heard her gasp in glee. "But only for a few hours."

The excited air that had been emitting from her quickly vanished. "What?"

"You heard me. Only for a few hours."

"But—"

"I'm not going to have a girl follow me around like some lost mutt."

She didn't say anything after that. At first, Kisame thought that the comment had convinced her that a few hours were good enough. Instead, she spoke up slyly, "Well, that's one thing I'll be putting in my notes."

There was the bait. And he was stupid enough to go for it. "Put what in your notes?"

She looked at him casually and remarked, "Oh nothing important. I just never thought that you would be gay."

_She thinks I'm WHAT!?_ A little voice inside of Kisame's head screamed. He didn't have anything against gays; in fact Itachi even told him that he had a thing for his little brother. But Kisame wasn't attracted to men.

"Then again," the girl added, "The Seven Swordsmen of the Mist _were_ all men…"

"I'm _not_ gay!" Kisame felt his upper lip twitch in annoyance.

"Really?" she questioned. "'Cause it really sounds like you don't enjoy having women around you."

He would give anything to choke her right now. Just one hand, that's all it would take. Annoyed and stressed out noises started to come out of the criminal's mouth as his hands clenched together into fists. The girl giggled, apparently amused at his actions. The blue man stomped at the ground and exclaimed, "Fine! How long do you want to travel with me?"

A victorious smile spread across her face. "How about until we get to that hideout your partner was talking about?"

"Tch! Hell no!" Kisame exclaimed, "I'm not going to lead you all the way to the hideout! If I do they'd—" He paused. If he led her to the organization's hideout, then they'd have to _kill_ her. After all, it'd be too risky to let her go. She might leak information out to the authorities. This was perfect! He could get rid of her once and for all!

But then the amount of time it would take to get there made it the idea seem bad. From here it'd take about a month to get there; and that was hoping that Leader-sama didn't switch locations on him again. Let's see…put it up with this girl for a month and then kill her…? Then again, if he picked up the pace he could make it there in almost half the time. Plus there were other dangers on the way. A group of thugs might jump them in the middle of the night. He could say that he was too busy with his opponent to pay any attention to what was happening with her. And Itachi never did say that he had to protect either.

It was perfect!

"Actually," Kisame grinned, "that sounds fair."

The girl raised and eyebrow suspiciously and crossed her arms. "I'm not going to be easy to get rid of you know."

"Yeah, I know." He grumbled. "C'mon," he turned and began to walk down the road hurriedly, "let's get going. I'm not going to slow down for you by the way, even if you are a girl."

"I understand," she said as she walked next to him. A smile was on her face and her steps were light and quick. Was she really this happy to be with him? "So!" she looked up at him, "Why'd you leave Kirigakure?"

He looked down at her, "Don't you think that's a bit too personal to ask?" an embarrassed blush covered her face and she looked away.

"Sorry. I wasn't sure where else to start."

"Well," he suggested, "you could start by telling me your name."

"M-my name?" she stammered as if it were something to be ashamed of.

"Yes," he repeated, "Your name. Unless you want me to call you 'jail-bait' for the rest of the trip."

She giggled and shook her head. "No thank you."

"Well, then..." he urged her on.

"Takeo," she answered. "Takeo Dariru."

What a strange surname for a girl. Of course her name was even stranger. Was it foreign? He looked at the girl and shook his head. The surname didn't fit her. He couldn't see this girl as a "violent warrior." But what did her name mean?

"Hey," he started the conversation, "What does 'Dariru' mean?"

"Oh. It means, uh," She looked away in embarrassment again, "'One who is being loved greatly'."

Kisame had to bite his tongue to keep himself from laughing. Not a whole lot of people love violent warriors. Oh, what a contradictory name!


	4. Nightmare

Chapter Four: Nightmare

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**Author's Notes: Okay! Chapter four! Doin' good, doin' good, doin' good! Anyway, sorry for the long update. I was waiting for reviews on Chapter Three. And, as some of you may know, I have another, unfinished, Kisame fan-fiction that I'm working on. You know what that means? Double the writer's block! Oh, joy! Hahaha. Anyway, thank you very much for all the reviews, favorites, and alerts! I really appreciate them; especially the reviews! I like reading them; they make my fingers attack the keyboard more often. Well, enjoy chapter four!**

…**.**

**I'm still pissed at Chapter Three though…**

* * *

"So did you get to pick the sword?" The girl, whose surname and actual name still made Kisame chuckle on the inside, asked him as the two walked.

"Nope," Kisame answered. "The Mizukage decided which sword we would wield after graduating from the Academy." Only a few minutes had passed after accepting her deal and already she was bombarding him with questions. And she seemed excited about it.

"I've heard rumors," Dariru began, "that Kirigakure had a very gruesome graduation exam. What kind of exam was it?"

He shrugged, "It wasn't too bad. Just a bunch of kids pitted against each other in a fight to the death. The last kid standing got to be trained to be a Swordsman."

"Oh, I see now," she grinned proudly, "It was because of Zabuza that the exam was banned." Then her expression turned sour, "But it still would've been nice to keep that exam…there were so many kids in my class that I just wanted to strangle!" she gritted her teeth and her hands clenched around an imaginary throat.

The criminal rolled his eyes. "You wouldn't make it through the first round."

"Yeah, you're probably right," she grinned. At least she was willing to accept her weakness. She began to rummage through the pack that was strapped to her belt and began to go into a panic. "Shit!" she hissed, stopping in the middle of the road and dropping the pack's contents on the dirt road. A kunai knife, three shuriken, feminine products, power bars, a bottle of water, and three pencils; but no little brown notebook. Dariru grabbed fistfuls of her own hair and hissed out again, "Shit! Oh god, this sucks so bad!"

Kisame just watched as she began to gather up the objects she had tossed. "No notebook?"

"No," she grumbled sadly. "This sucks." She sat on the ground, gathering the shuriken last with less enthusiasm.

"You'll get over it." Kisame stated. He didn't like being blunt, but sometimes it's the best way to get to someone. Especially if the lost object was something she had had for a long time. "C'mon. We still got a lot of time to burn before we find a place to stay for the night."

Dariru stood up, clipped her pack shut and followed him. At first she stayed a few steps behind him; still gloomy at the realization she had lost her book. But, like he said, she got over it and was keeping up with his long strides once again. For a girl, she got over things quickly. When most girls loose an item they had an attachment to, they stay in a bad mood for hours, sometimes days. It was like a little kid scrapping their knee or elbow; it hurts a little bit, but the kid usually acts like their arm just got cut off. But not this one. She was pushed down, realized that it hurt, but got back up and returned to the game.

Interesting. Maybe her parents didn't treat her like a fragile little girl?

"So," she started, "what kind of training did you go through after the Academy exam?"

"Physical training," he replied. "I had to be able to lift the sword before I could be told how to use it. My teacher completely ignored chakra training until I could effectively use Samehada."

"That makes sense." She commented. "How old were you when you started chakra training?"

He rummaged through his memories to try to remember. Let's see…he was sixteen when he started to carry the sword…took a year or two to master sword fighting… "Eighteen or nineteen," the blue man replied. "It was quite difficult compared to physical training."

"I bet it is after all that physical training, " the girl agreed with a small smile on her face.

"It was. And my sensei didn't let me cut corners either. He was ruthless and pushed me to my limits. Even when I was a kid." It felt nice to talk about these things to someone who was willing to listen. No one in the Akatsuki knew of his past, and none of them seemed to have cared. Everyone in the organization kept to themselves, and they rarely asked personal questions. In fact, it was almost like living with a group of strangers. And this girl, who he'd only known for a few minutes, knew more about his past than Itachi did.

"Sounds like my dad," she commented. The blue man huffed in a neutral reply. "Did you know your parents Hoshigaki-sama?"

"No." he replied.

"Oh," she mumbled solemnly, "I'm…uh…I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It's not like I couldn't get along without them." Kisame didn't have a parent complex. In fact he could care less about his parents. He had lived his whole life without their assistance, love, or presence. And he had gotten along with life just fine without them. There was nothing to be upset about.

"But…wouldn't it be nice to at least know _who_ they were?"

He shrugged, "I could care less."

"Oh…uh…okay…" she seemed lost for words. And for a long time, the only sound that emitted from the two was their feet touching the ground and scuffing up some dirt and pebbles. The girl raised her hand to her hair and began to twirl the longer parts around her fingers and occasionally running a finger across the brown strand in a petting motion. Her eyes glazed over and Kisame knew that her mind had wandered off to some other planet. He had seen that same look on Sasori's and Deidara's faces every time the two men were thinking up their next piece of art. And the two would stay transfixed in their artistic worlds for hours. The blue criminal began to make guesses of how long she could stay in her own world.

Hours passed and even though the girl had stumbled a few times over stray rocks, she still wouldn't leave her daydream. The silence had been comforting to Kisame for a while. Itachi and he would usually walk in silence for days on end and it wouldn't bother the large man. But that silence was okay only because he knew that Itachi preferred the quietness and wouldn't talk much if there was a conversation going on. However, this girl had given him the impression that she was talkative; now that she had trapped her mind in some other universe, the silence was beginning to get on his nerves.

Now, the sun was beginning to set. It added a beautiful red and orange tint to the once blue sky. Time to find a place to sleep for the night…

Where there was once a plain of tall grass just miles ago was now replaced with a thin forest. It wouldn't be the safest place to take refuge for the night, but Kisame knew that the girl would need to sleep at some point and there was no way he was going to carry her throughout the night. Sure he was polite, but he wasn't overly chivalrous.

He nudged Dariru's shoulder with his elbow to get her attention. The girl jumped at the contact and stared wide-eyed at him as her mind began to come back to reality. He motioned his head towards the forest, "C'mon. We gotta start a fire before it gets too dark."

"Oh," she said and followed him into the forest. They didn't stray too far from the road, but they were far enough away from it that no one would notice them taking a break. Kisame took Samehada off his back and propped it against the thick trunk of a tree. Light green moss was growing on the tree's rough dark brown bark; there were even a few insects were crawling up the bark and moss to their homes.

"I'll go get some wood," Dariru offered before running deeper into the forest with enthusiasm. For a girl who had just got done walking over ten miles, she still seemed to be full of energy. Would she even fall asleep tonight? The S-ranked criminal was hoping she would; otherwise this little stop would have been for nothing. He sat down, leaned his back against the tree Samehada was propped against, and relaxed. The air was starting to become colder as the horizon continued to swallow the sun to make room for the moon and stars. Bird songs were being replaced with the cries of wolves and the owl's curious hoots. The sun's light was succumbing to darkness, making visibility weaker and not as accurate; but his eyes would adjust to darkness in a couple of minutes.

Dariru returned with an armful of large twigs just as the last shades of orange and red faded away to a dark blue sky. She let a few pieces of wood fall to the empty space between them and placed the rest away from the designated fire pile. Kisame didn't start the fire until all signs of the sun's rays had disappeared from the night sky. The fire was small, but it was enough to keep them at a comfortable temperature and to keep some wild animals away. The girl sat on the opposite side of him, her eyes staring at the burning twigs as bright embers rose and disappeared into the air. Kisame watched her curiously, wondering why she was so transfixed on the fire. Her eyes weren't glazed over like before, but they were…alert, somehow. As if a small fire like this was something to be worried about; unless she had a fire phobia. But she didn't seem frightened…so what was it?

Then, out of the blue, she spoke in a curious whisper, "I wonder of dancers are inspired by a fire's flame?"

Kisame blinked from her sudden theory. "Excuse me?"

She blinked and looked at him, her voice a bit louder than before, "Sorry. I was talking to myself. I…tend to do that."

"You do it often?" he asked, pulling his arms into the Akatsuki cloak for more warmth. It was colder than he had expected.

A small smirk, "Not when I'm traveling with someone else."

He huffed in response and she went back to staring at the fire. It was getting close to midnight and the girl looked like she was trying not to fall asleep. Of course, he be would too if he were a girl traveling with an S-ranked criminal. But, he wasn't the type who would rape a girl in her sleep or even kill her. There was no fun in it. He'd prefer his victims to be wide awake when he attacked.

"Hey," he said loudly in case her mind had wandered again. Dariru looked up at him quickly, her eyes still wide. "You can go to sleep you know."

"Okay," but she made no move hinting that she would lie down and pass out.

"So," he pressed on, "go to sleep."

Her face shifted to a concerned expression, "But…what about you? Someone needs to stay up to keep watch."

"That's what I plan on doing. Now go to sleep, I don't want to carry you in the morning because you're too tired to walk."

Dariru raised an eyebrow and smiled slyly, "I thought you said that you wouldn't wait for me if I fell behind?"

He grumbled. Nothing he could say there. "Look," his voice was stern, "just go to sleep. I'm not going to do anything weird to you while you are." And added, "It wouldn't be polite."

That seemed to have gotten to her. Dariru looked at him one more time before scooting away from the fire. She crossed her legs and leaned forward, her arms huddled up under her torso. At first Kisame thought it was some yoga thing she did before sleeping, but once he saw her back rising and falling slowly, he knew she had fallen asleep.

The S-ranked criminal shook his head in disbelief. She was, indeed, a strange girl. And she kept getting stranger…even in her sleep.

Throughout the whole night she would whimper and make short frightened noises. Immediately, Kisame had figured the cause of her behavior was a bad dream. And then she had flopped onto her side, curled up into a ball and placed a hand over her face. Then, she started to shiver lightly. And as a sign of generosity, the blue man added more twigs to the fire than he normally would have. Her shivers quickly subsided and so did her frightened whimpers and twitches.

"Strange kid," he mumbled aloud to himself before allowing himself to lightly doze off.

* * *

"What were you dreaming about?" Kisame asked Dariru. The two were walking down a stone road that went pass a large shrine. They had been walking since dawn, and the morning was just now receding to the afternoon.

"Oh…nothing much. Just a little nightmare." She shrugged it off as if it were nothing. "What about you?"

"I didn't sleep last night. I was the lookout, remember?"

"Oh," she looked embarrassed that she had forgotten. "You want me to be the lookout for tonight? 'Cause I can and—"

"I told you before that I won't be carrying you if you're too tired to walk the next morning." He reminded her.

She nodded quickly, "I know. But it wouldn't be fair, ya know? If you had to stay up every night while I get to sleep."

A small chuckle escaped Kisame. This girl was a kunoichi and was worried about being _unfair_? He had thought that she would have learned by now that the world isn't fair. "I have been trained to stay awake for multiple days in a row while trying to hunt down and kill a feudal lord. I think I can handle staying awake and then have to walk."

"Oh," she mumbled. "Okay then. Um, by the way. Thank you." A smile was on her face again when he looked down at her.

"What for?"

"For not doing anything to me while I was asleep."

Dariru was starting to trust him, Kisame was beginning to notice that much. He couldn't let her think that he was a good guy, even for a minute. "How can you be so sure?" he asked, "I have been trained to be extremely quiet and unnoticeable when I put effort into it."

She seemed puzzled for a moment, which was what he wanted. He wanted her to doubt him. Maybe, if he did a good enough job, she would even leave and forget about her research. But then a victorious smile crossed her lips and she replied, "Because I'm a very light sleeper when I'm having a nightmare."

"How light?" he inquired. This was always a good thing to know about someone.

She smirked, "Light enough to know that you added a lot of twigs to the fire at one point." As they continued to walk, the S-ranked criminal just stared at her in shock. It was all he could do, especially since he hadn't sensed her waking up when he had added the twigs to the fire. Dariru just kept smiling and added, "Thanks for doing that. It was getting quite cold in those woods."

Kisame grumbled and murmured out a "you're welcome" under his breath.

* * *

Instead of camping out in the woods, the S-ranked criminal and Kirigakure kunoichi found an abandoned hut by a dried up creek. And again, Dariru went out to collect things they could burn for a fire. Kisame inspected the hut, making sure it was stable and wouldn't collapse on them during the night. The hut passed the quick inspection and the man began to get comfortable. The old rotting building only had one room, which was enough for them, and had weeds, moss, and vines growing in every crevice of its foundation. But he wasn't going to complain about it. After all, it was a safer place to sleep in than in the middle of the woods. Dariru came back with only a handful of small twigs.

"Sorry it's not a lot," she apologized as she placed the pathetic pile between them. "But it was all I could find." It wasn't a bad pile, considering that they weren't near the woods anymore. But then again, it wouldn't be enough to last them the whole night.

"It won't be a problem," Kisame said, "I'll just use some of the hut when the fire needs it."

"Sounds good."

"You're pretty easy-going aren't you?" He commented. Most of the women he had met with were usually greedy and were always complaining about something. But not this one.

She shrugged, "I guess. I just don't like to complain. I feel like some greedy bitch when I do."

"Oh, and nagging at a man to make him take you with him on his travels doesn't?" He made sure the humor in his tone was obvious when he spoke.

She laughed and threw some sort of plant at him, which missed by a few feet. "I didn't _nag_!" she sat up straight with shoulders back and joked around, "I asked in the nicest way that my request just couldn't be denied."

A chuckle came out of his mouth and he kicked some dirt at her leg with his heel. "Whatever. Shut up and go to sleep."

Surprisingly, she complied. The girl just giggled and lay down on her side. Soon, the small hut was quiet and dark. Not even the moon's faint light was able to find its way through the cracks and holes in the old hut. And for a split second, the S-ranked criminal thought she looked cute in that comatose state of mind. But he immediately pushed the thought to the back of his head. Such things weren't allowed in a criminal's head. The last thing he would ever want to have happen was to get attached to her.

Especially since he planned on leaving her dead body out to rot in the sun once he arrives at the organization's hideout.

* * *

She was in the ocean, floating idly in the middle of the vast water. Sunlight glistened through the surface and stopped right in front of her face. The shore was to her right and to the left was just more ocean. More salt water. Something was wrong. As she looked around her, she realized there weren't any fish. Nothing. Just herself and the vast ocean.

Suddenly, her lungs began to burn and the need for oxygen suddenly consumed her thoughts. She swam towards the sunlight, knowing that the surface was in that direction. But no matter how hard she kicked her legs or how far she reached out, the surface didn't grow any closer. Her fingers didn't break the liquid barrier to be met with the cold dry air. And they never will. That was what her gut told her and her subconscious knew.

There was a low rumbling sound from beneath her and she knew what it was. That monster was back. Every time she fell asleep, it was always there to hunt her. It had a different form for every dream; but this time it was a sea monster. And she didn't dare to look back to find out what kind.

She swam faster and harder, her lungs and throat burning and longing for the sweet intake of oxygen. Then, it happened. Her hand, her whole entire hand, broke through the water and was greeted with the coast's breeze. Oh, she couldn't wait to take a gulp of fresh air…

Something wrapped around her ankle. It felt like seaweed, and it had the strength of five muscle-builders. It pulled her down and a scream escaped her mouth. But all that was heard was bubbled erupting from her mouth as the monster pulled her down the dark liquid abyss. Instinctively, she inhaled, expecting oxygen. But instead, water filled her throat; and as she tried to take another inhale of breath, more water poured itself into her mouth, filling her lungs.

Just before she drowned, she saw the maw of the monster open, ready to swallow her whole. It was then that everything went black and her body jerked back into reality.

* * *

Dariru awoke quickly, her eyes snapping open and her senses suddenly becoming alert as her heart pounded mercilessly against her chest. Her eyes darted about the place, trying to remember where she was. It was still dark out, but morning would be upon them soon, she could smell the morning moisture. She was in a small run-down hut. There was a warm fire in front of her and on the opposite side was Kisame. His head was down and appeared to be sleeping.

She wanted to move. Wanted to get up and start walking again with him; but the darkness reminded her too much of the nightmare she had just had. She was afraid that if she moved the monster would come out of nowhere and drag her back down to that dark abyss again…

Cold sweat dripped from her brow and not even the fire felt warm to her shivering figure. Something creaked and snapped inside of the hut, which didn't help settle the girl's nerves at all. She sat up abruptly and looked about the place for the source. Kisame had been tearing a piece of wood from the floor of the hut but had stopped and was looking at her like she was crazy.

"You okay?" he asked, not bothering to rip the rest of the plank from the ground.

She nodded meekly, trying her best to sound convincing. "Yeah. I'm fine." She didn't want to seem weak, especially to Kisame. Even though she had only been traveling with him for two days, she was starting to develop a school-girl crush on him. It was stupid, she knew, but she had always admired the Seven Swordsmen; and honestly, his appearance didn't bother her at all.

"Sure?" he kept going. God, why did he have to be so polite? It made him seem like he actually cared. But she knew he didn't. He was an S-ranked criminal after all; in fact he was probably going to kill her at one point during this trip. The thought made her a bit uncomfortable, but she didn't really mind. She would do the same thing too if she were a criminal.

"Yeah." She muttered. He shrugged and she added quickly, "But I don't think I can go back to sleep! Can we…keep walking?"

He looked at her, a bit confused, but nodded. "Yeah. We can do that."


	5. The Oinin

Chapter Five: The Oinin

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**Author's Note:**** Thanks for all the reviews, favorites and alerts guys and gals! I really appreciate them! Like…a lot. Ah the irony…it's 3:33 a.m. right now and I can't go back to sleep because **_**I**_** had a freakin' weird-ass nightmare about Freddy Krueger. And of course, I had to have that dream right after writing Chapter Four. Bleh! It's a bit short, but oh well. Enjoy!**

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She looked tired and Kisame believed that she felt even worse. It was late in the afternoon now and she had done perfectly fine in keeping up with him when they had first left the hut. In fact, she had seemed very timid until the sun finally began to peer above the horizon. Now, she was lagging behind…_a lot_. He had even slowed down his pace just a little bit, even though he hated to admit that he did, and still she was quite a few feet behind. Her green and brown eyes were blood-shot from the lack of proper sleep, the smudged eyeliner made her seem worse, and she was shuffling her feet along the beaten path. She was so out of it that even the rare passer-by thought she had been a zombie.

A fork in the road appeared and so did a little wooden sign that pointed to the road going left. It read: _Machi, 3 miles._ Kisame began to think for a moment. They hadn't had a meal for a few days. He was sure he could go on a few more days without any food, but he wasn't so sure about Dariru. It would slow him down if something were to happen to her from malnutrition.

_Then again, it would kill her eventually…_He thought to himself. _But where was the fun in that? Watching someone deteriorate from the lack of food is no fun after a while. _If they went left, they'd be in a town after a short three mile walk. If they went right, then they'd be getting closer to the organization; another step closer to finally getting rid of her. But then again, the town was only three miles away. They could easily walk back after getting something to eat. And who knew when the next town would appear? But he didn't want to look like the good guy by taking a detour just to get her fed. _It'd be polite,_ a little voice inside of him muttered. He grumbled at its suggestion. Why had his sensei taught him to be polite?

By the time he had made up his mind, Dariru was standing next to him, staring idly at the scenery ahead of her. He nudged her shoulder with his elbow, "C'mon. We're taking a quick detour." She didn't look at him with wide eyes like she normally did, or even jumped slightly from the sudden nudge. Instead, she acted like nothing had happened and began to follow him obediently, shuffling her feet across the road.

* * *

The village was…okay. Not too extravagant, but not too run-down either. Good thing they weren't going to be there for long. Kisame took a seat at the nearest place that sold food, which happened to be a ramen stand. Dariru sat next to him and immediately laid her head on the counter. At first he was going to make her sit up, but then decided to let her rest a little bit. Maybe then she wouldn't be so depressing for the rest of the trip.

A woman behind the counter greeted them and asked what they would like to eat. "A bowl of shio ramen and," he glanced at Dariru, who seemed to have passed out on the counter. He ordered for her, "Get her miso ramen." The woman nodded with a fake smile and went off to tell her co-workers what to make. He didn't even think of waking Dariru until their food was ready. She didn't even look like she could hold her chopsticks right, hell she still wasn't sitting up straight even though there was a bowl hot ramen in front of her.

_She'd better eat,_ the blue man grumbled to himself as he grabbed a pair of chopsticks. "Itadakimasu," he said below his breath as he separated the two utensils and began to eat. Dariru finally grabbed her own chopsticks and seemed to have tried to say "Itadakimasu" but was too tired to get the right words out. It more or less sounded like she was speaking gibberish. But he knew what she meant and thought nothing of it as the two ate.

* * *

Normally, she was a fast eater. Her father had always told her to eat fast during missions, just in case something was to happen and so the smell wouldn't attract any wild animals. But she was so tired now. The food was great, and it did give her some more energy, but it didn't make her eyelids any less heavy. She was very grateful to Kisame for stopping. _He's pretending to be the bad guy,_ her groggy mind said, _really he's a nice guy. _

The contents in her bowl were half gone when she felt a hand lightly touch her shoulder. "Don't go anyway," Kisame snarled before walking off. She knew his little game now. He had only snarled to seem mad or threatening. But really, she wouldn't have gone anywhere even if he didn't tell her to stay put. After all, she still had questions to ask him.

Someone sat next to her on the right. She could sense he had a good amount of control over his chakra. Maybe he was a traveling shinobi? When she glanced over to try to see what village he was from, there was a hood over his head and a white mask covering his face. Her heart skipped a beat and adrenaline seeped into her veins for a short amount of time. _An oinin! _She gasped inside of her head as she continued to eat her ramen, trying to act natural. What the hell was an oinin doing all the way out here?

_To find either you or Kisame, _her mind answered, _Looks like he's on the right trail._

"Takeo Dariru," the man spoke. She gulped down her mouthful of ramen, which she didn't do on purpose. "You've been studying the Seven Swordsmen for quite some time," he reached into his pocket and pulled out her little brown notebook.

Immediately, Dariru became more alert and seemed to have snapped out of her drowsy spell, "Where did you get that?" she whispered, staring at the book.

"You dropped it," he stated in fake innocence, "I just want to return it to you." He held the notebook out temptingly. When she reached out to grab it, the oinin yanked it away and added, "After you answer some questions for me."

She kept her eyes on the notebook, "What kind of questions?"

"Oh, nothing too bothersome," he sighed lazily as he began to flip through the pages of her brown book. He stopped at his desired page, "I just want to know if you know anything of Hoshigaki Kisame's current whereabouts."

"No," she blurted out as soon as he was done with his sentence. What a wonderful way to seem even more suspicious. Normally she was more submissive to authority and didn't like to get involved with them. As a result, she would usually tell the truth. But not this time. And it wasn't because she knew that Kisame wouldn't hesitate in decapitating her if she did give away any information. She didn't like to betray people, even if she had only known them for a short amount of time. It felt…wrong. So, she went against all her father's training and brainwashing…and lied to an oinin.

"Really?" he turned his head to look at her through the small slits in the mask. The two red markings on his mask both went across the mask's eyes, making it seem like they were battle scars. It did make him seem more intimidating, but that wouldn't be enough to get her to tell the truth. "Well, says here that you _did_ meet up with him a month ago. There's always a possibility to meet up with him again." His voice sounded dangerous.

She took a deep breath and replied in a calm tone, "Sorry. But I haven't met up with him again. And if I did, I didn't notice him."

Just as she was about to go back to eating the rest of the miso ramen, the oinin growled. "The man is tall, carries a giant sword, and looks like a damned shark! How can you _not_ notice that?"

She shrugged, "Dunno," and smiled, "but somehow I found a way."

The oinin took a deep breath before speaking once more, "Very well then." He sounded calm and collected, which frightened Dariru more than his normal tone, "you're under arrest for illegal research and being a possible accomplice."

"Why arrest me when you're going to kill me?" she had no idea what possessed her to ask the oinin that dangerous question. But that was why he was here. Kirigakure wouldn't send an oinin unless they were expecting him to bring back a severed head. That meant that she was a criminal now. She was no longer a Kirigakure kunoichi. She was now a renegade ninja in the eyes of her home village.

A short laugh emitted from behind the oinin's mask, "And make a scene in this little town? Takeo-chan, you should no better that we don't like drawing attention to ourselves." He was mocking her, she could tell. Like a cat keeping the mouse alive for just a little bit longer before snapping its neck in two.

But before either oinin or kunoichi could do anything, a large figure in a black cloak came up behind the oinin and struck at the back of his head. The masked man fell forward with his head hitting the counter. Dariru immediately grabbed her brown notebook out of his limp hands before looking at the figure. It was Hoshigaki Kisame.

The blue man grabbed her wrist and pulled her along as he began to rush out of town, "We need to go. _Now_." she began to jog by his side, making him let go of her tiny wrist. Soon the two had begun to run out of town and were back on track to their original destination.

They didn't even pay the lady at the ramen stand.

* * *

He had no idea why he had knocked that oinin out. Had no idea what had possessed him to punch the human off button on the back of that man's head. If he hadn't have interfered, this girl would be off of his hands. In fact, she could be dead by now; the ravens could be eating at her corpse to make sure not a trace of her existence was left behind save for the head which would have been in the oinin's hand. He could be traveling alone by now.

But she hadn't told the oinin anything about him. She had been scared of the hired assassin, he could tell since he had been watching the whole thing unfold. It would have been extremely rude to not help her out. At least now he knew something important from her: Kirigakure was sending oinin to find her and possibly himself. He would need to be more alert now. And the sooner they got to the hideout, the better.

"H-Hoshigaki…sama," Dariru panted behind him. She wasn't a fast runner, but at least she had been able to run for nine miles. "Hold on a minute!"

Kisame stopped in his tracks, looking back at the girl as she slowed to a stop, bending over with her hands on her knees to catch her breath. It really wasn't a good idea to stop, but so far she hadn't done anything stupid. The girl stood up straight, her breathing still heavy, and began to untie the headband that decorated her neck. She turned and was about to throw the headband away.

"Hold on," he interrupted, "Give it to me. I can throw farther than you."

She nodded, "Okay," and gave him her headband. He looked at the distance and threw the weighted object. It went far; so far that neither of them could see where it landed.

It wasn't until it disappeared that he asked, "Why don't you want it anymore?"

She kept staring at the direction he had thrown the shinobi symbol, "Because I don't want to be associated with Kirigakure anymore."

He wasn't sure how she would cope with being a renegade kunoichi. But now, they were alike. They were both wanted by the Mizukage and didn't want anything more to do with their home village. _Great,_ he thought sarcastically, _another reason she'll come up with for traveling with me._ He touched her bare shoulder to get her attention, "Let's get going. Who knows when that oinin will wake up."

She nodded and followed him. For now, he would keep her with him. After all, they still had a deal.


	6. An Oinin's Plan

Chapter Six: An Oinin's Plan.

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**Author's Note:**** Sorry for the long update. Here are my reasons:**

**1: Writer's block…big time.**

**2: Dealing with my personal life…the shit just hit the fan and it was taking too long to clean it off the walls.**

**3: Waiting for at LEAST one new review. Lol**

**Anyway, I've been reading over these last few chapters and I do think I could have done better, especially with the relationship build up. So I promise you guys, the new chapters that will be uploaded WILL be better. As always, thank you for all the reviews, views, alerts, and favorites! I really do appreciate them! :) Enjoy!**

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Dai Mamoru had been serving Kirigakure for over fifteen years as an oinin. He had killed ten S-ranked shinobi who had fled their country, and thirty more lower-ranking renegades. Tracking down and accomplishing his mission wasn't anything new nor was it difficult; on the contrary, it had become easier every time he killed a renegade and presented their disgraced head to the Mizukage. Yes, he was proud to serve his village and country in this way. There was nothing dishonorable about it.

When the Mizukage told Dai Mamoru to find Takeo Dariru, the oinin was quite stunned. He knew the girl's father and therefore had vivid memories of her when she was barely hip-high. And now he had her most recent picture buried in his pocket to remind him who he was looking for. It was hard to believe that giggling little child was now a threat to the village.

His first intention was to bring her back to Kirigakure _alive_. Her crime was illegal research, which wasn't punishable by death, but merely by a couple of years in solitary confinement. After all, girls her age were naturally curious and once she realized what she had done was against the law, she ran, as it is in human nature when confronted with fear and authority. Or maybe he believed that she was still an innocent child, harmless to even the smallest of insects.

Then he found her little brown note book while he was searching for her in a small town. At first he thought it had belonged to someone else, but when he started to skim through it he saw her name on the front page. She was nearby and she was doing more than a little "harmless" research; she was seeking out the infamous Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. He was worried for that innocent child's safety, and when he read that she had crossed paths with Hoshigaki Kisame, Dai Mamoru knew he had to get her back home. And if he came across the abomination that carried Samehada while looking for her, then he would confront him as if it were a part of the mission.

Hoshigaki Kisame was the most dangerous shinobi that had betrayed and abandoned Kirigakure. His strength and speed was beyond normal, along with the amount of chakra that surged through his whole being. The blue man was eager to start fights, and he rarely lost them. Truly he was a walking shark that had adapted to oxygen in the air. And his thirst for blood seemed to be doubled than that of the creature that lurked in the ocean. If Dariru were to meet such a monster again, she might not live through the encounter again. So, he followed her tracks.

He always made sure he was a couple hours behind her, and when he saw another set of footprints traveling next to hers, Dai Mamoru assumed she had been kidnapped; however he hadn't seen any signs of a struggle…

Nevertheless, he kept following the trail. It was when the footprints finally veered off toward a town that he finally discovered who her "companion" was. Sitting next to the exhausted kunoichi was the wielder of Samehada, with the great sword sheathed onto his back. Dai Mamoru felt his heart leap into his throat at the sight of the man. He was _huge_! Taller than the bounty strips had informed and the black cloak he wore made him seem bigger and more intimidating. Hell, the girl looked much smaller than she truly was compared to him! There was no way the oinin could get Dariru away from the giant man, unless the violent renegade decided to leave her alone for a couple of minutes, which was highly unlikely!

And yet, the unlikely happened. The great blue beast stood up and growled something into her ear, no doubt a threat of some kind, before wandering off into the crowd of locals. Dai Mamoru knew this would be his only chance to be alone with the girl he knew when she was just a child. He slipped his oinin mask on, flipped his hood over his head and sat next to her. Dariru looked exhausted both mentally and physically, and it made the oinin wonder what the dangerous renegade had done to her. Hopefully, he hadn't defiled her small body in anyway. And although he wanted to hurry up and get her out of town, there was still a possibility that Hoshigaki Kisame was watching them. If he acted friendly toward Dariru, and failed to get her out, then he could be the cause of her death…

So, he acted like she was any other renegade he had to put down in the past. Quiet, calm, and quick. She was shaking during their conversation; it was barely noticeable, in fact he was quite certain she wasn't even aware of it, but it was happening. She was afraid. But of what? Him? Or the criminal that had brought her here?

He found out by asking a simple question after teasing her with the notebook, "I just want to know if you know anything of Hoshigaki Kisame's current whereabouts." And when she answered "no", Dai Mamoru knew her shaking was from the fear of the sword-wielding monster. He tried to get a better response out of her, but when she refused to give him a truthful answer he became frustrated and lash out at her. He always did have trouble controlling his temper. Her remark put him in better spirits though. It was when he told her she was under arrest that the fear became apparent in her eyes, along with the dreadful knowledge of what an oinin did to its targets. If only the poor girl knew that he meant no harm to her…Then, he felt a quick pain in the back of his head, right below the skull, before his vision blurred and was overcome with darkness.

He awoke to the sound of a frustrated woman yelling at him and someone shaking his shoulder violently. He was still at the ramen stand, the sun just beginning its descent, but she wasn't next to him anymore. Takeo Dariru and Hoshigaki Kisame were nowhere to be seen. They had gotten away.

Dai Mamoru slammed both fists on the counter, causing bowls to jitter and the frustrated woman yelp in shock. That damned monster had knocked him out and he hadn't even _sensed_ his presence! Not only that, but the two now knew there was an oinin after them; no doubt the blue creature would be more effective at covering up their tracks. _And_ they were now hours ahead of him!

Damn it! Damn it all to Hell!

The woman who had been yelling at him complained that his two "friends" had run off without paying for their bowls first. Dai Mamoru grumbled before reaching into his pocket and tossing a handful of coins onto the counter. He didn't care if it was too much, as long as it shut the woman up it didn't matter.

The oinin tried to track the girl and monster down once more, but like he had suspected, their tracks had been erased more efficiently than before. He felt his face strain in anger and his nails start to dig into his palms. "_Mother fucker!_" he snarled to the air before ramming his fist into a boulder. He felt the bones in his wrist and fingers pop out of place and the rock's rough surface begin to dig through his skin and scrape against his knuckles. An injury he could easily fix and heal in a few hours. It wouldn't be impossible to try to track the two down, but it'd be difficult to do it himself. He would need some assistance.

Dai Mamoru pulled out a scroll, made the appropriate hand signs, and summoned a raven. The great black bird flapped its wings, flying the short distance required to perch itself on his shoulder. This bird was able to understand some human speech, much like a dog, though it could not talk back. As the oinin began to write a message on a small blank scroll he told the raven to find as many other oinin before morning and to show each of them the message he had written. The bird ruffled its ebony feathers before croaking out a "caw"! The man held the scroll in front of the bird, who reached out to grab it with a taloned foot. The scaled toes clenched tightly around the message before lurching itself off his shoulder with a few flaps of its mighty wings, flying off to accomplish its given mission.

There was nothing more for Dai Mamoru to do but wait for the raven to return. With a reluctant sigh, he sat at the edge of the road, removed his mask, and began to meditate. However, his first intention on bringing the girl back alive was starting to waver to a different and more natural intention for an oinin: Kill her, and the blue monster, on sight and without mercy.

* * *

By the time night had settled upon the land, Kisame and Dariru were still running from that town, from that oinin. Well…actually, they were _leaping_ more than running. As soon as trees began to follow along the side of the road, the S-ranked criminal leapt into the branches and began going deeper and deeper into the forest. Dariru had followed him, trying to keep up with him but he was going so fast. She knew he had been running slowly on the road so she could keep up, but she never knew he could go _that_ fast! Now, Dariru rarely complained; even if she were on the brink of insanity she wouldn't say a word about it. But her eyes weren't adjusting quickly enough to the darkness and Kisame wasn't slowing down. She was afraid she would loose him in the woods. His presence made her feel safe…kind of ironic considering he was an S-ranked criminal; even when the nightmares woke her up, they didn't have as big of an effect on her like they normally did. And it was because she would see him sitting across from her, keeping watch for any intruders. Now that he was ahead of her, blending in perfectly with the darkness and the refuge the leaves provided, she was suddenly fearful that somehow the creature from her nightmares would emerge from the darkness and rip her flesh open and yank her bones out of their sockets while she was still alive, still breathing.

"Hoshigaki-san!" She called out to the darkness ahead of her. His great figure was barely visible and seemed to be becoming a part of the lightless forest. Fear gripped her being as she called out again in a crackling voice, "Hoshigaki-san! Please slow dow--!" A branch, which she did not see, collided with her forehead. Momentum made the impact hurt so much more than it should have; in fact, the girl's vision even started to blur, although there was not much to see anyway, and could barely sense her body wrench forward and begin to fall. Twigs and weak branches crunched and snapped beneath her tumbling form, he mind just beginning to realize what was going on. A gasp caught in her throat as leaves whipped past her face and scratched into her arms and legs. The falling sensation suddenly stopped and her shoulder almost jerked out of place from the sudden pause. Fingers were wrapped around her wrist in a vice grip, and someone began to hoist her up onto a stable and thick branch.

"Idiot," Kisame hissed, "watch where you're going next time!"

She winced at the throbbing pain emitting from her forehead. It would either become a bump or bruise soon, and she was hoping it would be a bruise. But that didn't seem very likely. "Sorry," she snapped sarcastically, "but I'm not used to the darkness like you are!" She felt dizzy, and even though she knew they were close to each other, her blurring vision still couldn't see even the outline of his face. Had she hit her head _that_ hard?

"Well," he whispered, "you'd better start to adjust soon. Next time, I might not save you." Dariru was beginning to feel bitter from her lack of sleep, the encounter with the oinin, her throbbing head, and Kisame's attitude. Hell hath no fury like a woman in a bad mood.

It was when she began to move about that she realized how they were positioned. He was on one knee while she was on both of hers and between his legs. She could feel the tips of her hair brush against his cloak and his large hand around her waist. The hand that he was not holding had apparently found its way to his back and was clinging onto the smooth fabric of the cloak. His body heat was radiating from him and she could smell the faint bitterness of the ocean and blood on his cloak. It suited him quite nicely.

A blush decorated her cheeks and made her face warm up, making her immune to the cold night air; but her current bitterness still had control of her, even if it was starting to be beaten down by those pesky hormones. She reluctantly released the back of his cloak and snaked her hand around his arm to begin pushing at his chest. "Don't worry," she mumbled, feeling him release her wrist and waist, "next time, I'll make sure to fall faster." As soon as she stood up, her head throbbed and burned with so much pain that the world began to spin and her legs began to wobble, threatening to give out from beneath her.

The girl thought she was beginning to regain her balance, but in reality she was actually loosing it. His fingers gripped her belt and pulled her back into balance on the large branch. "Apparently," he grumbled, "not fast enough."

Dariru simply looked away from him and said nothing.

"How do you feel about sleeping in trees?" he asked.

She shrugged, "Don't know. Never tried it before."

"Well," he grumbled. She could hear him shifting into a different position, "You're gonna find out tonight."

* * *

Kisame watched her sleeping on the branch, her head using another branch that grew off from the main one as a pillow. His eyes had gotten used to the dark to the point that he could see the girl and forest as clearly as if it were day. He hadn't known about the oinin following them until they had arrived at the town, but even he was unsure about whom the assassin was after; which was why he had decided to leave Dariru alone at the ramen stand for those few minutes. She had been shaking just a bit when she had realized the oinin had taken a seat next to her. He knew the fear had been caused by the assassin's presence, and he had to restrain himself from confronting the man earlier than he had already had. It was when she wouldn't say anything about where he was that Kisame had decided to intervene. Of course, he had to cover up their tracks more effectively now, but as long as the oinin couldn't find them again he didn't mind.

And since the oinin was after Dariru, they had to get as far away from that town as possible. Though, and he will admit, that he had been going too fast in the forest. In fact, he had almost been too late in stopping Dariru's fall; if he had been any second later, she would be dead on the forest ground. Then again, he could have let her fall, could have let her die. He would finally be rid of her, which was what he wanted in the first place. But every time he thought about it his gut would twist and guilt and pry at his conscience. Why the hell was he feeling _guilt_ for this girl? He wasn't supposed to feel _anything_!

Then he remembered how it felt to have her so close to him. As soon as he had pulled her up her free hand and gripped the back of cloak for dear life. Her wrist had been so tiny in his hands, and she was so close to touching him. He could even smell the faint scent the shampoo left behind in her short hair through all the remaining sweat and the lingering scent of the town they had been in. Of course he had no idea when he had decided to hold her waist, but it was nice to touch her. And then those damned hormones had started to kick in and he had to hiss at her and call her an idiot to at least try to seem unaffected by their closeness. Then, when she had pushed out of his grip, obviously just realizing how they were, it wasn't out of fear. She wasn't afraid of his appearance. This girl was the first female who had not cringed at his frightening and discolored body; even the whores he would occasionally hire during missions with Itachi would scream at the sight of him once they were sober or no longer under the influence of their favorite drug. And, as far as he knew, Dariru wasn't under the influence of drugs or alcohol. In fact, she hadn't shown any signs of fear throughout their whole trip…

He kept staring at her sleeping form, watching her rib cage rise and fall with every breath she took and released. She wasn't squirming as much tonight as she normally did. Perhaps tonight she was having a good dream; and even when she was having nightmares, she seemed cute. The girl let out a frightened whimper and her shoulder twitched just slightly, making Kisame wonder how she would whimper and twitch if she were on his bed with him on top of her tiny frame…

The blue man bit the inside of his cheek until it started bleeding at the sudden thought. How could he think such things!? He was an S-ranked criminal, not some weird pervert! In fact, at some point in their travels, Kisame had decided he wouldn't rape her. Then again, it wouldn't surprise anyone if he did decide to take advantage of her…he _was_ a criminal after all…

Again Kisame bit the inside of his lower lip until he could taste blood. At least now he had an idea of why he was keeping this girl alive and not leaving her out for the oinin. Lust. Pure and simple lust. After all, it had been a long while since he last hired a "professional" for her special services. At least the answer to his problem was simple now: Find a whore and make use of her profession. But finding one would have to wait until they found another town.

Hopefully, it wouldn't take very long.

* * *

Dai Mamoru awoke as soon as the sun began to peek over the horizon. The raven he had summoned was already perched by his side, its sleek head buried under one ebony wing. The message he had given to it lay at his feet, and beyond that message were three pairs of sandaled feet. The man looked up and saw three other oinin standing on the road in front of him, gazing down at him with their uncovered faces. He knew all three of them, and it made him glad that he did. Knowing an ally's skills and abilities will greatly increase their chances of accomplishment in battle.

The one on the left was Atsushi Kunio. The man must have been the oldest and biggest one among them. He had broad shoulders and large arms, which was very rare for an oinin to have. Hopefully, he could give that Hoshigaki Kisame a fair fight if it ever came down to hand-to-hand combat.

The middle one was Jun Ryuu. The kid was still a teenager, but Dai Mamoru knew that the kid would do anything he was told and would do it extremely well. He was still short for someone his age, seeing that his growth-spurt still hadn't kicked in yet. But he would indeed be willing to throw himself out as bait when the time comes to draw out their targets.

The last man was Tadashi Tamotsu. He was normal in size, height, and posture. But really he had a mind gifted with the art of defense and had saved over ninety teammates in his entire career as an oinin. Though, his face always seemed so sad; even when he was in a good mood. Either way, with this man on the team all four of them were going to live through this; even if they weren't able to kill Hoshigaki Kisame and retrieve Takeo Dariru.

"Gentlemen," Dai Mamoru greeted them as he stood up, "I assume you all have read the message?" They all nodded silently. A wicked grin came over his face, "Excellent. Then shall we begin our search?"

"Yes," the three of the said in unison before following Dai Mamoru to the place where he was unable to retrace the renegades' tracks.


	7. Bird of Clay

Chapter Seven: Bird of Clay

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**Author's Note:**** Hey guys! Wow, I never thought this story could get so many fans O.o! I'm very grateful to all of you who like this story so far! Thanks for all the reviews, views, favorites and alerts! I really, really appreciate them! Please enjoy!**

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Dariru grumbled at the pain her forehead emitted every time her fingers brushed against the bruise. The impact from the tree branch last night had given her a big red and yellow blotch on her forehead, and it felt like it was swelling up into a bump. _Thank god my hair can cover it,_ She winced as her finger touched the bruise one last time before pushing her hair over the blemish. It was early morning; the dew on the leaves was what had awoken the two from their slumber in the trees. It had taken them a while to find the road again, but they had and were back on track. However, Kisame seemed to be avoiding her. He was walking faster than he normally did, and whenever she would try to catch up to him he would just walk faster. So, there she was, walking at her normal pace while the S-ranked criminal was walking just a few feet ahead of her. Did she do something wrong? Did her bitterness last night offend him somehow?

It was awkward to be walking alone, knowing that your only company was purposefully avoiding you. Dariru disliked awkward situations, but even so, she hated the fact that she didn't know what to say to make things right; especially since she didn't know what she did wrong. "Hoshigaki-san?" she called out to him. He didn't make any move in response to her. Maybe she was too quiet…"Hoshigaki-san!" she said a little louder this time; and yet he still gave her no response. The girl glared at the great sword that was on his back and raised her voice like a mother scolding a child, "Hoshigaki Kisame!" He seemed to have faltered in his steps, but other than that he kept ignoring her.

_What a jerk!_

She ran ahead of him and stopped right in front of the tall man. He tried to go around her, but she just stepped in his way. She glared up at him with her hands on her hips and eyes narrowed. Kisame kept avoiding her gaze, the collar of his cloak hiding his mouth and nose. "Why are you ignoring me?" Dariru asked bluntly.

And still, he didn't look at her, "I haven't been ignoring you."

She chuckled sarcastically, "Yes you have! Every time I try to walk next to you, you just walk even faster! And when I called out to you _three times_, you acted like I hadn't said anything!"

"I wasn't _ignoring_ you," he argued, "I was simply not _responding_ to you."

Dariru crossed her arms and leaned to one side, still glaring up at the man, "Uh-huh." He finally looked at her in the eyes and he seemed tired. Then again, he hadn't had any sleep for a couple of nights. Perhaps avoiding people is what he did when he was tired? Guilt twisted Dariru's gut, making her look away first. Just before he went to go around her, she said, "I'm sorry." When he paused in his step she explained, "I'm sorry for being a bitch last night. And uh…thanks for helpin' me out."

He didn't say anything for a while, and at first she thought he had continued walking without her. But then he finally spoke, "Do me a favor?"

She furrowed her brow in confusion when she looked at him, "What?"

He lifted a fist and had it rest upon the top of her head, "Stop apologizing for things that aren't your fault." The cloak's collar was still covering his mouth and nose, but the girl could have sworn that he was smiling. She nodded in reply and he took his fist off her head, "Good girl," he said and began to walk down the path once more with Dariru following him. This time, he didn't speed up when she appeared next to him.

* * *

Dai Mamoru and his group of three oinins were searching close to the town where Hoshigaki Kisame had knocked him out. So far, his new teammates were having just as much trouble as he had had in finding the renegades' tracks.

"Well," Kunio grumbled, his voice low and booming, "they did a good job at covering up…"

The boy, Ryuu, shook his head in disbelief, "I guess he's an S-ranked bad guy for a reason, huh?" Dai Mamoru just rubbed the side of his head to calm his growing frustration. There had to be something…_anything_ to find out where they had gone. _No one_ was impossible to find!

"Dai-san," Tamotsu called from the edge of the road, "I think I found something of importance." Dai Mamoru and the other two oinin went to the sad-looking man, who was examining something in his hand. Shining from the sun's rays was a shinobi headband with the Kirigakure symbol etched into the metal plating. It was her headband…

"A headband?" Ryuu cocked his head to the side in confusion, "What's so important about that?"

"It belonged to the girl I'm looking for," Dai Mamoru explained, still wondering how the headband had gotten there.

Tamotsu held it as if it were a porcelain doll, "Do you think they traveled backwards instead of forwards?" An interesting theory, but…

Dai Mamoru shook his head, "No. I would have noticed it if they had gone the other way."

It was then that Kunio took a few strides away from the group and crouched down. The large man ran his fingers across the ground and muttered, "Dai-san is right. They went forward."

Ryuu smirked, "What makes you say that Ox?"

The much larger man ignored the small boy's comment which made Dai Mamoru admire him for his tolerance. "The headband was thrown." Everyone looked at him in confusion, but he motioned them to come to him. They all obeyed and looked down at the ground. There were scratch marks in the earth, indicating that something had gone across the ground with force. Tamotsu looked at the headband, which did indeed have dirt caked on its edges.

"He's right," the sad-looking man mumbled.

"Any idea how far it was thrown?" Dai Mamoru asked, eagerness pumping through his system. They had a hint! It wasn't much of one, but they had one! And that was all they needed to find the abomination and the girl.

The muscled man lifted his head in the direction he was indicating, "No. But I know the general direction from where it had been thrown."

Dai Mamoru grinned, "Take us there."

And so, the four oinin ran in the direction Atsushi Kunio was leading them in; and all of them were excited about it.

* * *

"Oh, come on!" Dariru whined as she stared up at the tall man next to her, "Why not? You need to sleep!"

"Because," Kisame looked down at her, "I already told you that I won't carry you if you get too tired the next morning!" He was glad the girl had decided to confront him about his actions during the morning. He had believed that if he avoided her, then those memories of her being so close to him would go away. But instead, they just kept haunting his mind every time he couldn't think of anything else to concentrate on. But once she started to talk to him, the memory faded. It would occasionally come back, but not as often as it had when he was ignoring her.

Dariru rolled her eyes, "Oh please. I'm not going to get tired because I stayed up past midnight."

He smirked and grinned, "Says the one who was about to fall asleep on the road after waking up from a bad dream." She opened her mouth to say something, but then she closed it, obviously unable to conjure up a come-back.

Instead she crossed her arms and stuck her tongue out at him like a child. "Whatever," she grumbled with humor in her tone.

He grinned as he kept staring down at her. With her arms crossed over her chest, she really did look like a guy. She wasn't stunningly beautiful like most women tried to be; in fact she seemed to be trying to _act_ like the opposite gender more than accepting her own. Which made him wonder, "Why the hell do you look like a guy?" he asked her.

She sighed and spoke as if reciting something for the hundredth time, "I was tired of my sparring partners going easy on me because I was a girl. I wanted them to fight me with everything they had, like I was a real threat," then she started to add more emotion to her reasoning, "Even if I did go home with cuts and bruises, I didn't care. I knew that getting hurt would help improve my skills, even if it did make me seem undesirable." She smirked and shook her head, "It didn't make my mom very happy. She wanted me to act more like a girl than a guy. But honestly, it's better for me to act like a guy since I'm a chuunin. And most women are total wimps anyway. There's no way I'd want to be put under the same category as _them_!"

It was a little more than he was expecting, but at least he got his answer; though, she did have a point. Most kunoichi used their gender as an excuse for being unable to do certain techniques or for being unable to meet certain requirements. But not this one; she was willing to trick her training partners so she could improve herself. It made Kisame wonder how skilled she truly was in the art of ninjutsu…

Something landed on his shoulder that made him look to see what it was. Perched on his shoulder was a tiny tan bird with beady black eyes and a small note clenched between its beaks. It was one of Deidara's birds.

Apparently, Dariru saw the bird and she said, "Aw, he likes you!" Kisame stopped and ignored her comment as he took the note out of its beak. Then, just to see if her memory was any good, he grabbed the bird and handed it to the girl, who kept it in her open palms. "Hold this," he ordered before reading the note as she began to make cooing noises to the clay bird. At least she had some feminine characteristics…

The note was written by Itachi, which he could tell by the hand writing. The little piece of paper read:

_**You will find a town called "Heiya" soon. Find a man named Aki and kill him **__**quietly**__**. Take the body to the town's landlord, who will pay you 600 yen. These are orders from Leader-sama. I'd do it myself but I have some other business to attend to. And try not to make a scene.**_

Kisame sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. The mission would be no problem, but getting rid of the girl for just a few hours to complete it would be a pain. No doubt she would want to watch and take notes in that silly little book of hers. And she didn't seem like the type who could preoccupy herself with window shopping either if placed in front of a clothing store. As much as he appreciated her lack of natural female instincts, this was the one time he wished she had some. And of course, when Itachi referred to "business", he really meant finding his little brother and pounding himself into his little ass relentlessly.

The girl was staring at the clay bird in curiosity, apparently just now figuring out that it wasn't a real bird. Kisame crumpled the little note and immediately the bird started to bloat up to disproportional sizes. She suddenly realized what the bird was doing and threw it away from her just as it exploded; a shower of neon confetti drizzling to the ground after the quick _POP_! Kisame stuffed the crumpled piece of paper into his pocket for latter reference and began to walk again, "Come on" he grumbled to her, "I gotta make a stop somewhere."

"Do you have to kill someone?" she asked.

Kisame froze and looked at her, "How do you know that?"

She smiled up at him, "You're an S-ranked criminal; it doesn't take a genius to guess what that note said. But don't worry; I won't get in the way. Just be sure to tell me when you're done, 'kay?"

He blinked before asking, "And this doesn't bother you one bit?" She shook her head, the smile showing no signs of fading. A sigh escaped him, "You're a strange girl, you know that?"

"Yep!" she chirped at his comment. He smirked and shook his head, continuing the trek down the path, now keeping a look out for any signs for a town called "Heiya".

* * *

The two finally found the town Heiya in the early evening. Apparently, the people of Heiya were more active during the night than most towns were. Paper lanterns were lit and hanging from wires that crossed over the streets and hung from the buildings. And as soon as they had entered the town, Kisame pushed Dariru toward the nearest group of girls in mini-skirts and brightly colored tube-tops, telling her to, "Mingle with her own species" before walking off to complete his mission. Before he got out of ear shot, Kisame heard the group of girls squeal excitedly at Dariru's presence.

"Oh! Hi! Are you new to town?" one girl asked.

"Hey, you're pretty cute for an outsider," another commented.

"You got a girlfriend back home, or is a guy like you just a regular party animal like us?"

Kisame had to bite his own finger to keep himself from bursting out in laughter. They thought Dariru was a _guy_! He could practically hear his traveling companion's dumbfounded stutters as the group of girls dragged her away into a building. If only he could be there to see the looks on their faces when they found out Dariru was really a girl. But the mission was his top priority.

He stopped by the bars first, figuring that Aki was just a wandering drunk, and began asking the store owners if they knew anything about his target. Strangely, only one of them had information for him.

"You're lookin' for Aki-kun huh?" The bartended stared at Kisame with a cynical look, obviously judging him by his appearance.

"Yes, I am," the criminal confirmed, "I promise you, I'm not going to do anything to him."

The bartender smirked and replied, "Well, someone needs to! The bastard keeps using my alley to sell his shit-tastic drugs!" the man leaned in to mumble something to Kisame, who leaned in too, turning his ear to the man. "If you could, you know…do something to him, I'd really appreciate it. No one likes him anyway, so he won't be missed if you…you know…_end_ him."

A wicked grin pulled at the corners of Kisame's lips. This mission would be easier than he thought. Then again, this could be a set up. The S-ranked criminal took the safer route, "I'm sorry, but I already told you that I don't plan on doing anything bad to Aki. Just want to talk to him about some things."

The bartender stood up straight and seemed unpleased with his response, "Fine," he grumbled, "you gonna buy somethin' or what?"

Kisame shook his head, "Nah. Not tonight." He stood up and walked out of the bar, and made his way to the closest alley. There were no signs of Aki or anyone else so far, but he was a patient person; he could wait until the target decided to show up.

Someone stumbled and knocked over a trash can, the lid rolling into view before disappearing behind a corner. "Whoopsie-dasie!" a drunken woman hiccupped. She stumbled and leaned against the alley's corner, her head lolling over to the side as she giggled at her own clumsiness. Even though she was still a few feet away from him, Kisame could smell the sake she had consumed. She had curly blonde hair, a tight white tank-top that showed off her flat stomach and decent-sized breasts, a skirt that was showing off a lot of leg, and high-heels. The S-ranked criminal looked away from her as to not be distracted. He had to keep an eye out for Aki, not whores.

But somehow, the drunken woman saw him and began to do her best at walking without falling over and twisting an ankle from her high-heels. "Hey," she tried to purr, but it came out more as a gurgle, "Why you out here alone? Did yer woman leave ya out to dry?"

_Actually, I pushed her into a group of girls, who took her as a man and dragged her into some building that's probably full of more girls and guys. And she's not really __my__ woman; she's more like a leech that won't let go. _He answered her question in his head, but didn't say it out loud. It was best to ignore distractions when looking for someone. But as Kisame thought about where Dariru might be, a strange little scenario popped into his head:

The girls had figured out she wasn't a guy and decided to leave her alone in the building. No doubt some handsome young man found her trying to find a way out and decided to talk to her instead of help her find the door. And, of course, she talked back to the strange boy and perhaps danced with him too; with his crotch area rubbing against her ass and his hands gripping her waist and touching her stomach…

Kisame didn't realize his hands were clenched until he felt his nails dig into his palms. Why had the thought upset him so much? So what if Dariru wanted to spend time with a handsome guy? That was her choice and hers alone. And yet, it made his blood boil and his jaw clench just thinking about it. Was he…was he getting…_attached_ to her? No…he had already found that the answer to his confusion was lust and nothing more. But if it were just lust, then why would he be upset if she decided to get some "experience"?

The S-ranked criminal was pulled from his thoughts when he felt the drunken woman press herself against him as she mumbled, "Forget about her. She be snoozie...she loosie," and soon the woman's lips were clumsily kissing his. The smell of sake was even stronger now and he could even taste the alcohol on her lips as he kissed back. This was a good way to kill time and to get that silly girl out of his head. The drunken woman's tongue brushed against his lips and he opened his mouth quickly to let her in. Even when she was kissing she was clumsy and obviously drunk. The sake taste was even stronger now that their tongues were beginning to mingle and run across each other. Her fingers were beginning to fumble with his cloak just as his hand was starting to roam up her skirt. She wasn't wearing any underwear. Kinky.

The woman moaned and pulled her mouth away from his, her head lolling over to the side again. She was still trying to figure out how to open his cloak. He ignored her fingers and began to nip at her neck, using his teeth to pierce the skin and draw blood. As soon as he did, she squeaked in protest, "Not too rough…don't want hickeys…"

"It's not a hickey," he mumbled into her neck as he licked the blood that oozed from her little wounds. Lord, even her blood had hints of alcohol in it.

She groaned in protest once more, "Whatever. I can always find…more mans if yer too funky."

This wasn't as enjoyable as he thought it would be; especially since she was talking and complaining a lot.

_Dariru wouldn't complain,_ a voice said inside of his head, _Remember how she acted when you told her how you would kill someone? _It was true. He had told her about some of his past missions he had done for Kirigakure when she had asked for them. He had made sure to include every gruesome detail, hoping it would gross her out. The only parts that had though, were the ones about his victims loosing control of their bladder; however when he went into detail about cutting their skin open, or ripping their large intestine out of their gut to wrap around their neck, her eyes went wide with wonder. She had even giggled, quite evilly he might add, and blushed at the gory details like a fan-girl meeting a rock star. _Yes…she would definitely like it if you bit her…_

"Shut up," he muttered to himself.

"Huh?" the woman hiccupped.

"Nothing," he said, grabbing her jaw and pulling her face to his, wanting to end this quickly. He felt her smile as they kissed again…good thing she wouldn't be smiling for long. As soon as her tongue darted across his lips, he opened his mouth only to clamp his pointed teeth onto the small pink muscle. The drunken woman shrieked at the pain and began to push away from him desperately. Kisame released her and the woman stumbled backwards, her back hitting the alley wall and her hands covering her mouth as blood began to pour down her chin.

The S-ranked criminal licked the rest of the blood from his lips as the woman found her bearings and hobbled out of the alley hurriedly. He chuckled at her desperation and looked about the alley for any signs of Aki. Lo and behold, standing on the opposite side of the alley stood a petrified little man with greasy hair and a beer belly. Kisame faced the man and greeted him, "Hello Aki! I've been waiting for you for quite some time you know?"

The man just stared at the approaching blue man with terrified eyes. "D-d-d-d-d-don't h-h-hurt me. P-please! I didn't do anything wrong!"

Kisame acted confused as one of his hands pulled a kunai knife stealthily from his pocket. "What're you talkin' about Aki? I wouldn't do that to you! I just want to buy some of the good stuff."

Hope glistened in those terrified eyes of his, "R-r-really?"

He couldn't help but grin evilly at the tiny man as he went to hug him. When he did, he stabbed the target in the chest, the kunai breaking through bones and piercing the heart. "No," he whispered into the man's ear. Aki groaned in pain and soon his body went limp in Kisame's arms. The S-ranked criminal acted ashamed as he spoke aloud, "Geez Aki, I told you not to drink so much sake. But do you listen to me? Nooo!" He picked up the fat man and began to make his way to the landlord's home.


	8. Her Realization

Chapter Eight: Her Realization

* * *

**Author's Note:**** Oh my god! You guys have no idea how thankful I am for all the reviews! Thank you, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!! I really appreciate them all! I really do! :D Same thing with the favorites and alerts! Well…here's chapter eight! **

**P.S.- Slight lemon warning. Just thought you guys should be warned :3 kukuku. **

* * *

The guard that protected the landlord's estate didn't trust Kisame for one second, even when the criminal had presented the body of Aki and had politely requested that he see the landlord immediately. When the blue man wouldn't leave, the guard pulled out his katana and stood in the fire stance, the sword reflecting the moon's radiance on its neatly polished blade.

"Leave. _Now_!" the guard ordered, glaring at the much taller cloaked man that stood defiantly before him.

Kisame sighed and let Aki's body fall to the stone ground below before kicking it aside to make room for the short fight that was to come. "You really don't want to start a fight with me," he warned the guard.

But the armored man didn't show any signs of backing down, making the blue man sigh in pity. Before either man could blink, Kisame struck at the man's throat with the tips of his fingers. The guard gagged and dropped his sword as he began to gasp for the air that would end this choking sensation. Kisame picked up the fallen blade and sliced the man's head off with one quick motion. The head thumped to the ground and rolled off the ledge like a child's lost ball as the body slumped over to its side, blood squirting from between the shoulders. The S-ranked criminal tossed the katana idly to the side, not paying any attention to the painful clanking noise it made, and grabbed the bloody stump that used to be the resting place for the head. Blood oozed between his fingers and soaked his palm. The warm liquid felt so nice to his cool skin, it made him wish that he had used Samehada; there would be more of a mess if he had used his own sword. But he was here to finish his mission, not to slaughter people.

He picked up the armored body effortlessly and tossed it to the side where the head had rolled off. The body was someone else's problem now. With ease, the S-ranked criminal picked up Aki's dead body and continued up to the house where he was met with another guard. However, this one was more negotiable than the now deceased one. Once he had explained his business the guard simply nodded and grumbled, "Follow me."

The house wasn't huge, but it wasn't small either. There were tatami mats laid out on the ground, making the men take off their shoes before continuing any further into the building. There were no extravagant decorations or furnishings either; just the basic materials needed for the place to seem comfy and livable. The guard slid a door open to reveal the landlord's room. Kisame could tell since there were more paintings and potted plants in this room than in the whole building…and that the landlord was sitting in the middle of the room.

The landlord was at the point in life when he was starting to look old; he hair was beginning to turn shades of grey and wrinkles were starting to appear near his mouth and eyes. The old man wore a grey and white robe that draped around his whole body, making him seem bigger than what he really was. But the one thing that Kisame had first noticed about the man was that he was blind.

Clouded eyes stared aimlessly at their direction and his brow furrowed in question, "Who is there?" This man was new to being blind. He should have been able to know when his guards entered a room and when a stranger did just by the sound of their steps. But this old landlord was clueless.

The guard bowed before his master and said, "It's me Yuudai-sama," the landlord's confused expression softened into a relieved smile. "The man you hired, sir," the guard continued, "is here."

Yuudai's softened look shifted to that of a serious one, "Do you have the body?" he seemed to be glaring at Aki's dead form, even though he couldn't see it.

Kisame nodded out of pure instinct, "Yes sir."

The landlord didn't even wait for his guard's confirmation before bursting out into a joyful laugh, "Excellent! Ha-ha! _Excellent_!" he waved at the guard's general direction, "Go on and take that forsaken body to dogs' pin. I'm sure they're very hungry tonight. And be sure to have the six-hundred yen when you come back." The guard did as he was told and relieved Kisame of the stiffening body. The old man's shoulders slumped as if finally relaxing and let out a heavy sigh. "Thank you, for killing that wretched man. It was his drugs that were the cause of my blindness," he pointed at his clouded and grey eyes.

"I'm sorry to hear that sir," Kisame said with fake sympathy, but he made sure it wasn't obvious.

The landlord shook his head, "Don't be sorry for me. I was the one foolish enough to believe his drugs would cure my sickness without backfire." They were silent for a long time. Yuudai seemed to be lost in thought and Kisame was just waiting for the guard to return with that promised six-hundred yen. He wanted to get out of this place as soon as possible and lay on his own bed at the Akatsuki base. They were so close to the main base now that he could almost smell the familiar mixture of everyone's unique scents.

It was the old man's voice that pulled the blue man from his comforting thoughts, "I'm sure you've traveled a long way to get here. Why don't you spend the night here? I have plenty of guest rooms you could use to sleep in."

The offer of a good night's sleep made the S-ranked criminal feel drowsy. But even so, he fought the tempting thought of closing his eyelids for even a few seconds and said, "I appreciate the offer sir, but my…_friend_…and I have a long way to travel and we need to get back on track as soon as—"

A boney hand waved dismissively at the comment, "It won't matter how soon you leave if you don't have the energy for it. I assure you, no one will harm you under this roof and you may leave whenever you want."

In reality, there is no such thing as "safe"; even the main Akatsuki base isn't one-hundred percent safe from being attacked or found by outsiders. However, "safe" was the word Kisame thought of to describe the sleeping conditions the landlord had offered. Sleeping in a building was safer than taking refuge in the woods, and no one would ever think to look for a criminal and his "friend" in a landlord's estate. It was a hard offer to decline a second time.

"Thank you sir," Kisame nodded to the blind man, "if I can just find my friend, then I'll accept your offer."

Yuudai smiled warmly, "I'm glad."

* * *

The girls that had taken Dariru had taken her to a rave party. Bright lights flashed all around the dark room as people danced with each other in provocative ways. Everyone's body heat made the building extremely hot, even with the air conditioner running and the fans blowing cool wind down at the dancers. The girls had started to dance with her, and it didn't take long for them to find out she was a girl. At first they were disappointed, and for a moment, angry. But they got over it quickly and switched to gossip mode. They even tried to get Dariru to dance, but she declined politely and just watched, declining other requests too. Really, they were a nice group of people…until you didn't give them any money for the drug that they're hooked on; at least that's what Dariru was starting to assume after watching one girl pop three ecstasy pills. But for now, she would talk with them until Kisame came to get her.

As time went by, the building started to fill up with more people who were more than ready to start dancing to the music's rhythm, and the temperature started to rise from all their body heat. It was starting to get uncomfortable. Would Kisame even be able to find her in such a crowded place? Dariru tapped one of the girl's shoulders and hollered over the music, "I'm gonna go outside!"

"'Kay!" she giggled, "You comin' back?"

Dariru shrugged, "'Dunno!"

As she began to weave through the crowd, another girl from the group grabbed her arm and hollered, "I'm comin' with you! I need a smoke anyway!" Dariru nodded and the two girls made their way to the door.

It was nice and cool outside, and less crowded. The cooler temperature made Dariru sigh in relief as she leaned against one of the building's pillars, still able to hear the heavy beat of the music from behind the walls. The streets weren't as crowded as they had been when she and Kisame had first arrived at the town, but the stores did seem to be as crowded as the rave building. The woman who was with her was called Neko-chan; Dariru had no idea what her real name was and the woman didn't seem ready to give that information out any time soon. Neko-chan seemed to be in her early twenties with short, straight black hair that curled under her jaw. Dark purple lipstick was thickly applied to her tiny lips and the dark eye shadow made her look like a skeleton. The dark blue tube-top clung tightly to her upper torso and her short skirt seemed to be just as tight. She pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from her purse. With one quick motion, she plucked a long white stick from the box before shoving it back in her bag and lighting the end that wasn't in her mouth. She took a deep breath in, took the cigarette in between her index and middle finger, and blew out a great cloud of smoke to the night sky. The smell made Dariru's nose wrinkle, but she said nothing about it.

"What's your name?" Neko-chan asked, staring at Dariru with her dark eyes.

"Takeo," she replied; it was best not to give this woman her full name.

The woman grinned as she put the cigarette between her lips again, "Geez. You look like a guy, you got a guy's name, but you're a chick…" she took another breath and exhaled more smoke from her mouth before speaking again, "So what brings you to this rat's nest, Takeo?"

There was no way she was going to tell this woman the truth that was for sure. So the renegade kunoichi said, "Oh, just traveling."

"By yourself?" Another inhale and another exhale of that bitter grey cloud. The smell was starting to grow more rancid.

"No," Dariru shook her head, "I'm with a friend."

A mischievous grin came across Neko-chan's face, "Chick or dude?"

"What?"

"Chick or dude?" she repeated.

"Um…dude," Dariru replied, still unsure why the smoker had asked such a thing.

The grin grew and she tapped the cigarette so that the shriveled end fell to the ground. "Aaaah. Is he cute?"

A small blush decorated Dariru's cheeks. So this is what the woman was like? "Well…_cute_ doesn't really fit him…" and it didn't. She couldn't really see herself describing the large blue man as "cute"; that was a word one saved for kittens or rabbits. But that didn't mean she didn't find him attractive, "But I do think he's uh…handsome."

"Handsome?" Neko-cha snickered as if she had never heard of the word before, "Okay then. What else? I want some details girl! What's he like?" she took another inhale before taking the stick and flicking it to the ground.

Dariru sighed as she tried to think of what to say. She wasn't going to give out obvious information, just in case this town did know of the infamous Hoshigaki Kisame. "Well," she started, "he looks intimidating, but he's really polite most of the time. He likes physical fights and will respect you once he knows you…" the kunoichi didn't feel her expression soften as she thought about the tall blue man who she had been traveling with for the past few weeks, "And he tries to act like the bad guy, just to make himself seem scarier. But really, he's a good guy." Dariru knew she was smiling, but she thought the smile was from the pride of figuring out how Kisame is. Though, she didn't feel her pulse start to quicken or her face get a little warmer at the thought of him. But apparently, Neko-chan noticed.

"Oh my god," the woman breathed as she began grinning from ear-to-ear, "you're in _love_!"

Dariru's head snapped up and her eyes went wide, her cheeks turning red in embarrassment at the accusation, "What!?"

Neko-chan kept smiling victoriously, "Oh yes you are! I've seen my uncle give his fiancée that look all the time!"

The stuttering girl in the red and grey tank-top was starting to stumble over her own words, "N-n-no! I mean--! B-but! How do you--? I...I…!" But thee more she thought about what this woman had said, the more she began to realize that it was true. She knew she had a crush on the blue man but…_love_? Was she really starting to love him? Then, her mind focused on the feeling of being so close to him after he had saved her from falling…she had been so close to him…it made her warm in more places than one. At first she had thought the feeling was simple lust! Now that she was really starting to think about it, trying to come up with an excuse to prove Neko-chan wrong, the girl realized that everything Kisame did made her heart flutter.

Good lord…she had fallen for an S-ranked criminal…and she didn't care…

Dariru brought her hands to her face and grumbled. There was no way he felt the same way about her. He was an S-ranked criminal and probably didn't even know what love was. And even if he did, he wouldn't allow himself to feel such a thing for anyone. The thought made her heart sink.

"Does he know you love 'im?" Neko-chan asked as she lit another cigarette.

Dariru hugged her own arms, suddenly feeling cold, "No," she mumbled half-heartedly, "I don't even think he likes me," she added.

The woman blew smoke from her nostrils, making herself look like a dark plotting dragoness. "Had he done anything for you? Ya know, somethin' cool?"

The girl didn't need to think to answer the question, "Yeah, actually, he has. He caught me when I had fallen from a tree."

Neko-chan shrugged and said triumphantly, "Well there ya go! He wouldn't have saved ya if he didn't like you."

"But what if he was doing it just to be polite?"

She snorted, "Tch! Please! If someone I didn't like was falling from a tree, there's no way I'd save their sorry ass!" Neko-chan nibbled at the end of the stick as smoke drizzled out of her nose once more.

Did Kisame…like her? There had been so many times during their travels that he could have left her and finally be free of her presence; but he hadn't. He had kept her with him, even though she was probably a pest, and had even helped her…_did_ he like her?

Neko-chan spat the cigarette out and made her way to the door, "I'm going back in," she informed, "You comin' in too?"

At first Dariru wanted to say "yes", just so she could kill more time, but then she caught sight of someone in a dark cloak walking toward her. "No," she answered, "I think I'll call it a night."

"Good luck with that guy of yours!" the woman said before disappearing into the throbbing building. Dariru stared at the approaching figure as he weaved between people effortlessly. His features were becoming more apparent…Dull blue skin, dark blue hair, white eyes, a Kirigakure headband with a deep scratch through the center, and a great sword sheathed on his back.

It was her traveling companion, Hoshigaki Kisame; the S-ranked criminal she was beginning to love.

He stood in front of her for a split second before grabbing her arm and leading her in the direction he had come from. His fingers felt wet and warm, smearing the strange substance all over her arm unintentionally. When the girl looked down, she saw the blood that was all over his large hand and that was now all over her arm. It wasn't the sight of the blood that frightened her; no she _enjoyed_ looking at the darkly colored liquid. It was the fact that she didn't know whose blood it was that made her heart skip a beat. "Is…is that your--?"

"No," grumbled, "it's not mine."

Relief calmed her down and she was soon walking next to him without the aid of his blood-stained hand leading her through the crowds of hammered individuals. The crowds of people began to dwindle in number and soon Kisame was leading her up a flight of decorative stone stairs. Bamboo and other foliage littered both side of the stone steps but the greenery couldn't hide the warm glow of an active house. The girl furrowed her brow in confusion at the sight of the building. What was this place? And why were they going toward it?

She tugged at the sleeved of cloak and whispered, "What're we doing here?"

Kisame stopped in his steps and said, "The landlord has offered us a free place to sleep for the night with the promise of protection."

So many paranoid thoughts were buzzing through her head all at once. What if this was a trap? Was the landlord corrupt? What about the guards? Surely they would attack them while they were asleep? Wait, would they be sleeping in the same room? _Together!?_

She must have seen distressed for the man sighed and began to explain why they were given such an offer. After hearing the explanation, Dariru felt a little better. Though, she still didn't feel like trusting anyone in that building that she didn't know. Trusting party girls was one thing…but people with money and power were a completely different subject.

* * *

A maid led the two renegades down a hall that had empty rooms on the right and an opening to a small garden on the left. The woman seemed to be afraid of Kisame; for she made sure she was always in front of Dariru the whole time. Though, while the kunoichi was staring off into space, Kisame kept catching the maid glancing at Dariru over her shoulder and giving her a sad look as if pitying her. The blue man said nothing about the woman's glances but merely imagined himself gutting her open at even thinking he would do something bad to the girl. And before he could even ask himself why he was being so protective of her, he answered himself with that one word: Lust. However, every time he used that as the answer to most of his questions the reasoning behind it seemed to dwindle.

The woman stopped, Dariru almost bumped into her had her reflexes not be properly trained, and turned towards a door. She didn't open the door when she asked him directly, "Would you like your girlfriend to sleep in the same room as you, sir?"

Both shinobi felt their cheeks burn up at the question and each of them blurted out a different comment at the same time:

"_I'm not his girlfriend_!"

"_No! It's not like that_!"

The maid looked at both of them with surprised eyes at their sudden reactions. Kisame was the first to regain composure.

"The girl will sleep in a separate room. Doesn't matter which one."

Relief seemed to wash across the woman's face as she nodded, "Very well." She turned to Dariru, "If you would follow me Miss." And the two women walked down the hall and disappeared behind a corner. There was no doubt in Kisame's mind that the woman was going to get Dariru as far away from him as possible.

Typical. But understandable.

He knew he looked the part of a dangerous psychopath. But why did it pain him to know that the maid thought he was abusing his friend?

The blue man didn't realize he had referred to Dariru as his friend, even as he slid the door close once he entered his room.

* * *

Salt water splashed against the boat's frame, making the vessel rock soothingly like a baby's cradle. Seagulls croaked out their cries as they flew across the blue sky without a care in the world. The air was thick with the feeling of salt and the breeze cancelled out the sun's heat.

"Okay Dariru-chan," her father beamed, "we're gonna catch a lot of fish today. Be ready to work!" This wasn't real. Father liked the idea of sailing but he didn't know how. Even if he did know, Mother wouldn't let him go out to sea; the ocean might claim his life as it did to many other fishermen and sailors. However, as she watched her father throw a net over the side he had the most excited look on his face that made her eager to help out. Even if this wasn't real

"Okay Daddy," she answered in a higher more child-like voice. She didn't need to look down at herself to know that she was a six year-old girl again. The braid, which her long hair had been tied back into, was tight and pulled at her scalp; every time she moved the braid bobbed against the small of her back. If her thick hair hadn't been the cause of all her constant headaches she wouldn't have cut it so short.

She turned away, getting ready to pick up something, but she wasn't too sure what she was going to get. As long as it helped her father out she would be more than willing to go get it. Some thing bellowed from the ocean's depths, followed by her father hollering at her, "_Look out_!" She turned around just in time to see the giant tail of a whale crashing towards the tiny boat.

Water splashed and rose in giant waves that flipped the boat upside-down, causing everyone and everything on deck to sink into the freezing ocean. Dariru swan up towards the sun's light and resurfaced. Panic started to take over as she saw the boat's underside bobbing above the surface along with the other items that had been on deck. But her father was no where to be seen. She swam to the boat and clambered onto its rounded surface, looking everywhere around her for her father to appear on the surface.

Time ticked by so slowly. She was getting cold and frightened. Where was Daddy? He should have resurfaced by now. "Daddy?" she called out to the lazy waves that rolled around the boat, hoping that calling to him would make him reappear faster. But he still didn't show up.

The sky darkened and was highlighted by numerous shades of red. She had never felt so inferior to the world in her life until now. Then, she heard something bump against boat and felt its vibrations rumble through the wood. Dariru looked over her shoulder and saw her father's body face-down in the ocean. Happiness was drowned out by panic; he could drown if he stayed like that for long! She began to crawl to the boat's edge and began tugging at his soaking shirt, trying to get him out of the dangerous salt water. He slipped out of her fingers and his body rolled slowly onto its back, making the little six year-old stare in horror as sickening fear and disgust gripped her like a drunk and abusive man.

The skin had been completely ripped off from his face, the muscle now showing perfectly to the air and terrified daughter. His dead eyes looked at her and seemed as if they were alive and analyzing without their eyelids. His ribs had been pried open and his organs missing. The smell of rotting flesh made her gag and the sight of him made her scramble back to the top of the boat. Her feet and hands slipped on the smooth surface and she fell into the waiting ocean.

The cold water seemed to suck all the air from her lungs and throat. Air. She needed to resurface for precious air. Before she could even begin swimming upwards, something wrapped itself around her ankle and calf and pulled her down deeper. She struggled desperately against the attacker, even though she knew in the back of her head that it was pointless to resist. Just let it drag you down deeper and deeper until you feel the pressure build up in your ears and compress your insides closer together.

The open mouth of that familiar monster appeared below her, ready to welcome her as its next meal…

* * *

Dariru woke up with her heart throbbing against her chest cavity and cold sweat sliding down her head. She was expecting to see the warm glow of a fire in front of her with Kisame sitting on the other side, doing his best to seem awake and alert. But it was the guest room's cold darkness that greeted her timid mind that sought reassurance. The dream's memory kept haunting her and imagination just played along with it, making her think that she would be on that boat again and see her father's mangled body.

A cold shiver coursed through her body, even though she had slept with her regular clothes and was beneath the futon's heavy blanket. She hadn't seen her father or mother ever since she had sought out the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist and had gotten over being home-sick after the first week of travel. But the dream made her wonder if her father was okay…if her mother and father were still happy and healthy. She cuddled with the blanket more tightly, trying to seek comfort from the piece of fabric. But the blanket couldn't whisper reassuring words into her ear, nor did it provide the kind of warmth that only a living being could give.

She pushed aside most of her paranoid fears and walked cautiously to the door and out into the quiet hallway. With a deep breath, the girl began to make her way to Kisame's room. She didn't plan on going into his room or even knocking to tell him what was wrong; just to be sitting outside of his room, knowing that he was close by would be enough reassurance for her.

* * *

Kisame was on his back with his hands behind his head, sleeping the night away. It was nice to rest on a soft surface and seemed like a rare luxury after spending so many nights on cold and hard surfaces that the forest provided. The blanket had been too heavy and made his body heat up to uncomfortable temperatures, even though he was only sleeping in his dark boxers. It was now laying dormant next to the futon and had been folded up nicely. He was glad he had accepted the landlord's generous offer; they would definitely be able to cover more ground tomorrow morning now that he was resting. Hopefully, Dariru would be as well-rested too if the nightmares don't keep her up all night.

It was then that said girl slid the door to his room open; but the blue man was so deep in his sleep that he didn't notice. She walked silently across the wooden floor in her bare feet and kneeled next to the slumbering man. It was his trained senses telling him that someone was close by that woke him up, but he didn't open his eyes; he wanted to find out what she wanted first. And even though he hadn't seen the intruder, he somehow knew that it was his traveling companion.

The question was answered when he felt small lips press against his. Immediately he sat up in shock unsure if this really _was_ Dariru. And it was really her; every detail was right from her hair color to the small hints of green in her eyes. He just stared at her wide-eyed, still baffled by what she had just done. It's not that he didn't enjoy it, but it had been quite sudden and unusual for her to be so…forward.

"Dariru, what are you doing!?" he hissed in a whisper, trying not to wake the building's residences. The girl didn't answer his question with words, but with actions. She wrapped her arms around his neck, closed her eyes, and began to kiss him again. This time, he didn't do anything to make her stop. He let his eyes close and moved his lips with hers. This girl was causing so many things to happen to him all at once:

His boxers were starting to become tight and uncomfortable in the front area, their tongues were starting to mingle with one another, and his hands were beginning to unfasten her pants. And it all felt so nice, that a professional couldn't do any better.

At some point she had allowed his tongue to explore her mouth. It brushed against the insides of her cheeks, brushed over her teeth and massaged her own pink muscle on occasion. He began to tug down at the waistband on her pants, wanting to get them off; wanting her bare flesh to rub against his own. She got the message, and though they had pulled away from each other's lips, she kept her head close to his. As soon as he had pulled her pants and underwear off, she crashed her lips onto his. It was getting difficult to resist the urge to bite at her skin and have a taste of her blood; he didn't want to scare her off. Not when they were so close now…

He started to kiss and suck at her neck, his ears and senses being rewarded with the sound of her moan. Her hands pulled his boxers down just enough to let the room's air greet his already hard cock. Kisame buried his face into the crook of her neck, stifling the groan that threatened to escape him as she threw a leg over to straddle his hips. As the girl began to lower herself ever so slowly towards his expectant tip, he began to nip lightly at her shoulder and trailed to her neck, encouraging her to keep going. Just as her warm, wet entrance touched the tip of his dry cock, he bit into her shoulder…

And it was the pain of his teeth sinking into his won arm that awoke the S-ranked criminal from his dream.

* * *

Kisame squeezed his eyes shut at the pain his was inflicting to himself. A groan of pain came out of him as he removed his teeth from the inside of his arm, letting the blood trickle down his throat slowly. There was no sign of Dariru in the room, nor was there any sign that hinted that his dream could have been real. He let out a sigh, noticing quickly that he was still hard from the fantasy the dream had implanted into his mind; and though he would prefer to finish that fantasy until the erection was gone, he had to stop his arm from bleeding first. The man removed some of the cloth from Samehada as make-shift bandages for his self-inflicted wounds. By the time he had finished tying the knot, his…problem…had gone limp. But that didn't stop him from mulling over the dream.

It had all seemed so real…in fact, it made him wish that it could come true, even though he knew that such a thing could never happen between him and her with her complete consent. If he ever did he would probably have to force himself upon her. But he knew he couldn't do that. It wouldn't be polite…

It was then that the blue man noticed a shadow up against the paper door of his room. The shadow was small as if someone had waded something up into a ball and put it there. At first he was going to ignore it, until he saw the shadow move. With silent steps, he approached the door, his eyes on the shadow at all times. He slid the door open silently and slowly and was surprised by what he found. Sitting with her back to him was Dariru, her legs crossed and her body hunched forward. Her striped tank-top rose and fell and she breathed slowly, obviously asleep. He almost felt guilty when he went to wake her.

"Hey," he nudged at her side with his bare foot until her head snapped up. She stood up straight, looked over her shoulder and gave him a tired smile. The girl was really out of it for she didn't seemed bothered, or didn't notice, that he was only in his boxers. "What're you doing here?" Kisame asked her.

"Sleepin'," she muttered with half-closed eyes.

The blue man rolled his eyes at her comment. "Okay. Why're you sleepin' in the hall? You've got your own room. Go sleep in there."

She rubbed her eyes with her knuckles and moved herself so her back was against the wooden wall, "It's safer here."

He gave her a quizzical look. Did something happen to her in her room? "And why's that?" he was glad she was half-asleep and didn't notice the concern in his voice as much as he had.

"Because you're closer," her head rested against the wall and soon she drifted off into sleep.

His face heated up at her comment as he kept staring at the sleeping girl in shock. She felt safe…around _him_? How? He was a criminal! He had killed so many innocent and not-so innocent people, that he had lost count a long time ago. Not only that, but he wasn't exactly a sight for sore eyes. So how could she feel safe with him around? And that was exactly why she felt safe: People were afraid of him. If she acted like they were good buddies, then people would leave her alone too. But as he stared at the sleeping girl, the more he believed her to not be the kind of person who uses people like that.

An exasperated sigh came out of him as he rubbed the bridge of his nose in thought. He needed to get rid of her soon; she was causing so many things to come to his mind that shouldn't have been there in the first place. With a slow hand, Kisame closed the sliding door and went to put the rest of his clothes on. They might as well begin moving on to the base now that he was awake, but he didn't want to wake her either. Once Samehada was strapped onto his back, the blue man opened the door once more and found the girl still asleep by the door. With little effort, the S-ranked criminal scooped the girl up in his arms.

Dariru stirred and began to open her eyes, questioning mumbles and groans emitting from her; which he was able to silence by simply mumbling to her, "It's alright." Immediately, she was calm and even nuzzled her head against his chest as sleep took over her mind once more. Again, his face began to warm up at the fact that she was letting him hold her, but he quickly dismissed the thought as he walked down the hall and towards the exit.

Thank goodness she was unconscious. Kisame knew that if she ever found out that he had carried her, he would never hear the end of it.


	9. Irony is Wonderful

Chapter Nine: Irony is Wonderful.

* * *

**Author's Note:**** Thank you guys SO much for all the reviews, views, favorites and alerts! I really appreciate all of your support! Sorry for the long wait…Now, hurry up and read this chapter! There's ****fan service****! And baffs :3. And it's really long…**

**Hidan: That's what she said, bitch!**

**NinjaGirl101: :( Fuck you prick! **

* * *

They were getting close to the organization's base; Kisame could feel it. They would have to veer off into the woods in order to find the place, but not until they reached a village that supplied the Akatsuki with most of their necessities in exchange for protection. And since the village was small no one really knew about it; the only attackers that ever invaded were the occasional bandits.

Dariru was starting to shift in his arms as dawn began to push away the remaining night. The blue man set her down on her feet, keeping a hand close to her back in case she wasn't conscious enough to keep her balance. Her feet shuffled, a hand rubbing the sleep from her eyes and shook her head. She looked about their surroundings in confusion as she slowly began to notice they weren't in the landlord's home anymore. It was just like any other place that they had traveled through: A dirt path leading to God-knows-where with trees flanking either side of the beaten road.

"You awake?" Kisame asked, trying to get her mind to start working properly.

"Yeah," she mumbled.

"Good," he tapped her back and began walking, "let's keep going."

* * *

Heiya was not a very active town when Dai Mamoru and his three teammates entered the place. The smell of alcohol, smoke, drugs and even sex lingered in the air, hinting at the activities the locals participated in last night. People were sleeping against buildings or were sprawled unconscious on the littered alley grounds. Store owners were taking out the trash, both literally and metaphorically. And the people who _were_ conscious and walking through the streets either looked like they were in a lot of pain or old. It was as if the town itself was experiencing an excruciating hangover. All four oinins believed the town was ugly and immoral.

But that's what made it the perfect place for two renegade shinobi to take refuge for a night or two.

"Kunio," Dai Mamoru whispered to the large man, "take Ryuu and start asking people if they've seen any signs of Hoshigaki Kisame. Tamotsu and I will ask about the girl."

Ryuu gave him an exasperated look, "How come you get to ask cute girls about the chick and we gotta ask some grubby old men about the freak?"

Dai Mamoru pulled the picture of Takeo Dariru out of his pocket and waved it in front of the boy, "Because I know what she looks like." Before the teenager could snatch the photo out of his hands, the lead oinin shoved it back into his pocket and snarled, "Now get to work."

Both parties were having difficulty getting any useful information from the locals. The people they asked either didn't remember anything from last night's drunken stupor or they had no information for them at all. Ryuu had given up on asking the many greasy hung-over men, that Kunio had gone up to, for any information on the blue renegade.

In fact, the youngest oinin believed this whole thing to be a lost cause. So what if they had found the girl's headband? She was traveling with an S-ranked criminal, who has been able to avoid getting captured by oinin for _years_. And even if they did find the giant blue guy, how would they capture him? If he _was_ as powerful as they were told when they first started this mission, then there was no way four oinin could take him down. And they had no idea what the girl was capable of, though Ryuu was sure that she was very close to useless in battle. This was a suicide mission no matter which-way you put it. And the thought made the youngest oinin give up.

Ryuu walked slowly over to a bar stand while his partner was busy trying to get something out of a hiccupping toothless old bum. The boy slumped over the smooth oak surface, hiding his face in his arms and let out a loud grumble. Something prodded at his arm unrelentingly and didn't stop until he stared up at the man behind the bar.

"What do you want?" he grumbled at what he suspected was the bartender.

The slightly overweight man glared down at the boy and then nodded towards Kunio, "I hear your buddy askin' if some big blue shark man came through town recently."

"Yeah, so?" Ryuu turned his head away from the bartender, expecting a slew of questions to erupt from the bartender.

Instead, the opposite happened.

"I think I've seen 'im 'ere last night." Immediately Ryuu's head snapped up and he was all ears. "Does 'e wear uh…big black cloak with red and white clouds on it?"

"Yeah," Ryuu nodded as he felt his spirits lift suddenly. How ironic that he would find the guy who could them any slightly useful information.

"Yup," the bartender grumbled, grabbing a glass and began to clean it with a cloth, "'e was 'ere last night. Came lookin' for Aki. 'opefully the guy killed the sorry bastard."

"Any idea where this blue guy went to after last night?" Ryuu asked, hoping to get more information from this guy.

"Nope." The bartender said bluntly as he picked up another glass to clean.

"Alright. Thank you for your help, Sir," Ryuu bowed his head slightly and left to tell Kunio what had just happened.

* * *

S-ranked criminals don't usually take on low-paying jobs. They're either hired by someone who has a lot of money or a lot of power. Either way, the first person Dai Mamoru and Tamotsu decided to interrogate was the town's landlord. Even if the landlord only had information about Hoshigaki Kisame, it would help the four oinins find the girl too. But when they were lead to the landlord's den by one of the guards, their efforts were crushed dramatically before they even asked any questions.

The landlord was blind.

"I'm sorry," The old landlord grumbled tiredly, "I have no information about this 'Hoshigaki Kisame' you're looking for."

"Did you have any outsiders spend the night on your estate yesterday?" Tamotsu asked gently. Dai Mamoru would have been asking questions himself if it weren't for his growing frustration at how illusive the blue man and girl were being at the moment.

"Yes," the man nodded, "but I did not ask them for their names."

"Why not?" Dai Mamoru snapped uncontrollably and received a look of warning from his partner.

"Because they had done a very important favor for me. I trusted that they wouldn't be of any trouble on my property."

Tamotsu nodded his sad head, "Very well. We will leave you in peace, Sir." Both oinin bowed their heads respectfully at the landlord and were escorted out by the guard.

But before either of them could begin their descent down the stone stairs of the estate, the guard stopped them both. "This man you're looking for," he started, "Did he carry a giant sword on his back?"

Dai Mamoru looked the guard over before nodding, "Yes."

The guard stood up straight and stared hardly at him, "That…_monster_…killed my little brother when he came here last night. He took my brother's sword and beheaded him without any remorse." The armored man shook with controlled rage.

Tamotsu didn't need any hint from his partner to act sympathetic to the guard. "I'm sorry to hear that, Sir," Tamotsu mumbled in that sad little voice of his and placed a comforting hand on the guard's armored shoulder.

"Did he have a girl with him?" Dai Mamoru spoke as his frustration dwindled to a more calm feeling of hope.

"Yes," the man nodded.

The lead oinin pulled out Takeo Dariru's picture and held it up to the guard's face, "Did she look anything like this?"

His eyes darted across the picture quickly before nodding, "Yes. That was her."

Dai Mamoru shoved the picture into his pocket, "Any idea where they are now?"

He nodded towards the town, "Not exactly. But I did follow them until they left the village early this morning."

A victorious grin spread across Dai Mamoru's face, "Tamotsu," the sad oinin looked expectedly at his leader, "gather Ryuu and Kunio."

Tamotsu nodded and leaped off the ledge, landing expertly on branches and rocks silently.

"Show me where they were headed."

* * *

"You carried me!" Dariru hollered with a victorious smile on her face as she pointed an accusing finger at the tall blue man.

"No I didn't!" Kisame lied, hollering back at her with as much humor, "I told you before, you were sleep-walking!"

She rolled her eyes and laughed, "I don't sleep walk!"

"Well, then, it was your first time this morning." There was no way he was going to let her think, even for a _moment_, that he had carried her sleeping form that morning.

"Uh-huh," she grumbled disbelievingly. They walked in a short silence before she broke it again, "You carried me and you know it."

"No I didn't." Kisame shot down her accusation quickly.

"Yes you did."

"No I didn't."

"Yes you did."

"No I didn't."

"Yep."

"Definitely not."

"Would you carry your partner?"

He thought for a moment, "Depends on what's happened."

Dariru giggled, "Oh sure, you'll carry a _guy_, but God forbid that you carry a _girl_."

"I'm_ not_ gay."

"Oh, uh-huh yeah, sure," She patted his arm and looked at him with fake understanding as she tried to hide her good humor, "It's okay, I won't tell anyone. You know, 'Don't ask, don't tell'."

Kisame grabbed her arm and held her in place as he looked at her in the eyes, "I've been with more whores than you've had boyfriends you little brat!"

"I should hope so," she grinned, "considering that I've never had a boyfriend in my life."

Her comment took him off guard. "Really?" he questioned. She may look a bit like a guy, and acted like one sometimes too, but she had a cute face; surely she would have had at _least one_ boyfriend in her life?

"Yeah," she nodded. "Dad wanted me to focus more on training than my hormones. But Mom said it was alright for me to have a boyfriend. Though I never really saw any point to having one. They just cause a lot of trouble if they break up with you."

Kisame had let her arm go at this point. She'd never had a boyfriend, which means she might have had her first kiss yet…which definitely classified her as a virgin in the man's mind. More proof that the dream he had of her would never come true.

"Did you ever get along with the other swordsmen?" she asked out of the blue.

He blinked a few times, "What?"

"Did you ever get along with the other swordsmen?" she repeated as the two resumed their walk.

"No," He answered.

"Okay," she chirped, "So why didn't you guys get along?"

"We all wanted power," he explained, "and everyone had their own idea of how to acquire it. I wanted it through fighting. Zabuza thought the same way, but he was softer on his targets. Raiga figured it was through his swords' element. And other things like that."

"Huh," she smirked, "and you and Zabuza didn't get along?"

"Like I said before, he was too soft on his targets. That meant he was weak. And he was, if hewas killed by a group of thugs because his little buddy died."

"Well, he _did_ fight that copy-ninja from Konohagakure before he fought the thugs," she defended the dead man's honor.

Kisame just rolled his eyes, "That guy is easy to beat. Once you drain him of his energy it's all over."

"Easier said than done," she mumbled, but wasn't angry or upset about it.

The two walked in silence after that. They were only a few days walk from the organization's main base. And it was there that Dariru would meet her fate…unless he turned her in the wrong direction by accident. Not because he cared about her, but because he got distracted and temporarily forgot where the organization's real hiding spot was. At least, that's what he kept telling himself.

He didn't want his mind to be on the subject for long, and thus decided to start the conversation. "What rank are you anyway?"

"Chuunin." She replied.

Kisame smirked and shook his head. "Sure kid," there was no way this little girl was a chuunin! She didn't seem like a journeyman ninja and he hadn't seen any violent acts from her that would convince him otherwise.

Dariru looked up at him, "Am too! My dad even gave me extra training everyday after my sensei was done with the team!"

He still didn't believe her. "Oh really?"

"Yes, really! He would even hit me on impulse. And when I would get hit he would say, 'You're the kunoichi! You're supposed to block!' And eventually I did." She then laughed at thought, "It would piss my mom off whenever we started to hit each other in public."

In all honesty, the blue man still couldn't see her being able to hit a grown man. She was good at dodging, since she had been able to avoid getting hit by Samehada when they met the second time, but he hadn't seen her _attack_ anything yet. _Let's test that training…_His mind cackled. The S-ranked criminal waited a few minutes until Dariru had let her guard down. With a quick motion, he smacked her upside the head.

The girl squeaked in surprise and then glared at him, "What the hell was that for!?"

Kisame couldn't help but grin and shrug innocently, "Well, you _said_ you could block these sorts of things. Guess you're loosing your touch. That is _if_ you ever _had_ one." He looked at her just in time to block the fist that came charging at his face. Dariru punched at him again with her other hand, which he blocked expertly. Then he started to take the aggressive stance. He would punch at her, and then she would block and try to counter, but to no avail. Every time he struck out at her, the girl took a step back. It was quite amusing.

They lightly spared with their hands for a good twenty minutes before Dariru did the unthinkable: A surprise attack.

As soon and she blocked one of his attacks, she made like she was going to counter with an open-hand strike. Instead, she kicked him in the stomach. She didn't kick him that hard, but the sudden contact of her boot to his stomach made Kisame jerk backwards in shock as if she had used all her power.

* * *

The two stood still for a long time. Kisame was in shock and Dariru was in slight fear. She had just _kicked_ an S-ranked criminal in the stomach after they had been sparing with their hands. What would he do? Laugh at it and continue to spar? Or would he return the favor? Or would he…

Kisame looked at her square in the eyes. His white eyes seemed angry, but his tone told her he wasn't too serious, "You're gonna get it now."

_Ah shit…_

Whenever her dad had said something like that, it usually involved a large combination of attacks that she couldn't keep up with. And that was when he was going easy on her. Who knew what Kisame meant by "you're gonna get it"?

Well, one thing was for sure; she wasn't going to stick around to find out. Without another word, the girl made a break for the woods that bordered the road. She could hear him run after her, but barely. For a guy carrying a giant sword on his back, he was very good at being quiet. It felt like they were playing tag; except she really didn't want to get caught. With a swift jump, and some help with the chakra she had concentrated to the bottoms of her feet, she landed on a tree branch and continued to go from branch to branch.

She couldn't hear him anymore. Did he give up on the chase? Just as her foot left the branch, fingers curled around the heel of her boot and attempted to pull her back; but since the grip was weak, her foot was able to escape.

"Damn it!" she heard Kisame hiss. A victorious giggle would have come out of her if her foot hadn't had fallen short of landing on the next branch. The toe of her boot brushed against the bark and a sick feeling rushed through Dariru as her body began to descend. In an attempt to keep herself from meeting the ground, she leaned forward and her ribs crashed into the branch. It hurt, but it gave her enough time for her arms to wrap around the branch and hoist herself up.

She turned to face Kisame, who was on a lower branch and staring at her with wide eyes. Had he been worried? If he had, he wasn't anymore. Especially since she stuck her tongue out at him and pulled down at her lower eyelid. And again, she didn't plan to stick around for long, turned tail and ran.

* * *

He was going to make her pay for that sneak attack! Of course he wasn't quite sure how yet, but he would think of something once he caught her. He wasn't going as fast as he could, but even so, she was doing a good job at avoiding him. Perhaps her father did train her properly…

The smell of water mixed with the pine scented air that surrounded the forest. They must be getting closer to a lake. How far had they gone into the forest anyway? How long had he been chasing her? He should be more focused on getting back to the base! Not playing "catch the girl"! It was then that he heard Dariru gasp loudly, followed by a loud _SPLASH_!

Kisame jumped on a branch that overlooked the lake he had gotten a whiff of before. Apparently, Dariru had overshot her jump and landed in the water instead of on another branch. The girl's head burst from beneath the light blue surface and she frantically swam back to shore, hugging her wet body and shivering. The S-ranked criminal just smiled in amusement at the sight and shook his head. There was a tall cliff on the opposite side of the large lake, and speeding down the chunk of land with a mighty roar was a waterfall. A small grin crept across his face. He knew exactly where they were.

The man jumped off his perch and landed on the ground silently. The girl was glaring at the lake as her body continued to shiver involuntarily. He nudged her side with his foot and asked, "So…how did you _not_ see the lake?"

"F-f-f-fuck y-y-you," she replied through clattering teeth.

A smirk crossed his face. Her shivering would get on his nerves; and if she got sick then that'd be even worse. Once he had taken Samehada and its sheath off of his back, he began to unbutton his cloak, planning on giving it to her to keep warm; but she obviously didn't see it that way. "W-wait! I d-d-didn't mean l-l-literally!"

His hands stopped and all he could was stare down at her, keeping himself from laughing at her comment. What a perverse mind she had. "I know," he said, shrugging the dark cloak off his shoulders before tossing it on her head. "Just trying to be nice."

Dariru pulled the cloak off her face and looked at it. He could see her cheeks turn a light pink, "Thank you."

"No problem," he replied before walking toward the forest.

"Where're you going?" she called out.

"Scouting," he yelled back, "I think I know where we are."

* * *

She didn't wrap the cloak around herself until Kisame was no where in sight. The cloak was really big on her, but at least it was warm. It also felt very smooth and nice, almost like silk. She took a deep breath and exhaled; god it even smelled like him. Well…it did at first. Then she could smell the sweat and even some dried blood from long ago. What a way to ruin a moment. Then again, she probably needed to bathe too.

Good thing there was a lake.

The kunoichi sighed, pulling the cloak closer to herself as her mind wandered back to what she had said to him. She probably sounded like some weird little girl who over-thinks the situation. _Of course he wasn't going to take it literally! _She scolded herself, _He might have been trying to act like a bad guy before, but now he's not! Besides, who would want to do __you__? You're only one cup size above an A and men don't like a woman with small lumps! Not to mention your hair-do makes you look like a fucking man! Kisame is probably treating you like one too! Maybe that's why he's finally dropping the bad guy act!_ _You know, you should probably take the cloak off. You'll get it wet._

She obeyed what her mind said and draped the smooth piece of clothing over a low-hanging branch. Her own wet clothes would get on her nerves and the sun would start to set in a few more hours. And who knew when Kisame would come back?

_Might as well start getting dry._

Making sure no one was around, the kunoichi turned her back to the forest and took her clothes off, wringing the water out of each one as it came off before placing it on something dry. Once she had wrung her all of her clothes of most the excessive water, she put them back on. They were still damp and cold, making her skin shiver and develop goose bumps, but she dealt with it. She began to gather up twigs and fallen branches from the surrounding area. Hopefully, there would be enough wood to make a fire large enough that it would dry her clothes.

* * *

The sky had become a mixture of red, orange, and purple as the sun began to descend further behind the horizon. Dariru had gotten a fire started and most of her clothes were dry by now. The fire warmed her body and added orange tints to her almost-pale skin. Kisame had been gone for quite some time. Did he leave her behind? No…not when Samehada and his cloak are still here.

A small twig snapped and she turned her head in time to see Kisame walking out of the forest. He had a black t-shirt and the standard-issue shinobi pants on. She'd never seen him with his cloak off, and so far he looked…pretty good. "Oh good, you started a fire," he commented before pointing at the forest with his thumb, "There's a small village five miles west once the forest clears. And a few miles away from that is the organization's hideout."

"Oh, that's great!" she did her best to sound excited, but really her heart was beginning to sink. Once they reached the hideout, the deal was over and she would have to make do on her own. It wasn't like she couldn't take care of herself but…she was going to miss the blue man's company. He was fun to be around.

Kisame stood in front of the lake's shoreline and started to take his sandals off, tossing them idly behind him. At first Dariru had no idea what he was planning on doing. Then, somewhere in the back of her head, she knew what was going to happen as soon as his shirt came off. Well, that part in the back of her head was completely blocked out by the part that was too busy admiring the muscles that toned his back, shoulders, and arms; and she was pretty sure the front looked just as good.

_Woah…_She said to herself as the blood rushed to her cheeks, making them warm up into a blush. _Nice body…_

It wasn't until she heard the clank of a belt buckle the noise of a zipper being undone that the back part of her mind took over. "Hey, hey, hey, hey!" she screamed at him, her whole face was burning up now. "What the hell do you think you're doing!?"

He looked over his shoulder and stated, "Taking my clothes off." One of his hands grabbed the headband that covered his forehead, pulled it off and then tossed it onto the pile that was his shirt and sandals.

"What the hell for!?"

"So I can bathe," he motioned toward the lake before yanking the belt from his pants. Dariru squeaked and turned away, covering her eyes with her hands. She didn't want to see any part of his body that was below the waist! And why didn't he at least warn her that he was getting ready to take a dip in the lake? "You know," he began with a hint of dark humor, "most women prefer it when men takes bathes."

"Yeah and most women prefer _not_ to watch a man strip right in front of them either." She snapped.

He chuckled and she heard his pants and underwear join with the pile of clothes. Then there was light splashing and soon she could hear him wading out to the deeper parts of the lake.

Very slowly, she removed her hands from her eyes and turned to face the lake. The water stopped at his bellybutton and she sighed in relief. But she had been right; his front had been well-toned with muscles as much as his back was. Another blush decorated her cheeks as she watched him submerge his whole being beneath the water's surface.

* * *

He resurfaced after a long while and shook the water from his hair. Dariru was standing by the shoreline, looking at the water's shimmering surface like a skeptical doe. "You know," he started, "you should take a dip too." The suggestion had no dual meaning to it, but even he knew there was a possibility for her to take it the wrong way.

Which she sort of did.

"I'm not going to bathe with a _guy_!" She shrieked, the blush on her face becoming brighter.

He didn't want her to feel uncomfortable, but her reactions were just too damned cute! Even he had to admit that. She was acting like she'd never seen a naked guy before. It was hilarious! "I won't look if it makes you feel better," he added.

Her tiny hands tightened into fists, and though she was trying to act angry, the smile on her face and the short little laugh gave it away, "That's not the point!"

He smiled and shrugged, "Okay," he turned his back to her and splashed some of the cool water up his arm. The cold liquid felt so nice against his hot and sweaty body. Even though he had no soap to get rid of some of the smell, it just felt refreshing to wash most of the grime away. Dariru would like it too, _if_ she ever got in the water. "It'll get dark soon," he hollered to her, not bothering to even try to look at her, "and the water's already pretty cold. You might want to take a quick deep before it's freezing."

By now he could care less if she wanted to get in the lake or not. The soothing liquid was taking over his sensed and h just wanted to enjoy it. He lowered himself until the water was at his chin. It felt so relaxing the way the cold seemed to seep into the very core of his bones. It'd feel better if he was completely submerged…

With a deep breath, he pulled his head beneath the surface and his ears filled with water. The pounding of the waterfall pouring itself into the lake was a dull, constant throbbing in the man's ears; as if his hearing was not proper. He could even hear the water rush around his arms every time they moved. It was so peaceful, so serene. It made him glad that he was trained to use this element as his main weapon in battle.

The dull sound of something else wading through the watched reached his eras. He didn't have to open his eyes to know it was Dariru. She was further away from him but closer to the shore. Even in the water he could tell how she was moving; so far, her movements were quick and occurred in long intervals. At first he thought it was because of the water's temperature that made her act like that, but when her actions hadn't ceased after a few minutes, he assumed it was from something else.

His lungs began to burn, begging for oxygen, and he complied with his body's basic need. Very slowly, he broke through the lake's surface and was met with the dry air. Dariru had her naked back to him, the water stopping just below the small of her back. Her back was boney; the knots in her spine, her shoulder blades and ribcage were lightly showing beneath her skin. It wasn't an unhealthy kind of boney, especially since the two of them hadn't had a proper meal after meeting the oinin, but it was still surprising to see. Most kunoichi, like their male counterparts, had experienced years of training in the physical and mental fields. And, unlike their male teammates, kunoichi developed a smaller frame that had muscle toned to it; if it weren't for their tiny arms, legs and obvious waists, then they would be mistaken as boys.

So why was Dariru so boney?

The girl squeaked in fear and flinched away from the water, her arms crossing over her small chest and hands clinging to her arms for dear life. Kisame watched as she stood still and staring wide-eyed at the water as something was going to leap out and attack. The S-ranked criminal let out a small laugh and grinned at her timid nature. Was she afraid of water? Kind of ironic that she once served for The Land of the Waves.

"Don't be so timid," he said, trying to calm her down, "the water won't bite you."

Dariru kept eyeing the rippling surface, "It's not the water I'm afraid of. I'm afraid of what's _in_ it."

His brow furrowed in confusion before chuckling out, "So, you're afraid of minnows and crawdads?"

She smirked and replied, "No." Then, she shivered as if cold and gripped her arms even tighter, "I'm…I'm afraid of sharks."

The blue man, who happened to look like a shark, snarled out, "Bullshit!"

She looked at him, taken aback by his sudden outburst, and blinked, "What?"

"You're not scared of sharks," he explained.

Her eyes narrowed, "Yes I am! It's because of _them_ that I'm afraid of going into water by myself! And even then, my mind loves to play tricks on me!" She was shaking, and not because she was cold; and the look in her eyes just justified her explanation. Dariru was, indeed, scared of sharks. But if she was scared of sharks, then…

"So why in the hell aren't you afraid of _me_?" Kisame snarled, which he didn't mean to do.

The question seemed to have confused the girl, for she looked at him like he was talking complete gibberish. The, when it finally hit her at what he meant, she said, "Because I don't see you as a shark."

It was his turn to act confused. Most people judged him for his appearance. And since he looked like the creature that was at the top of the ocean's food-chain, people acted and treated him like he _was_ that irrational creature. And now that he knew why she wasn't afraid of him, he was shocked. Though his fellow Akatsuki members would crack jokes at his appearance, which he never took seriously, he didn't even know how they truly viewed him, with the exception of Itachi. In fact, he was quite sure that Dariru was the first female to ever tell him she wasn't afraid of his appearance.

Even so, he didn't believe her. At least, he didn't _want_ to believe her. He didn't want to believe that this tiny, boney, girl-looks-like-a-dude _wasn't_ _afraid_ of _him_. "So," he crossed his arms over his bare chest, trying to seem intimidating, "there's nothing about me that frightens you? Not in the least?"

"No…well, actually…there is one thing…" she turned her head enough for him to see the humorous smile on her face, "I'd be afraid to fight you." And she turned away from him, not noticing the blush that covered her cheeks.

He detected no lies in the way she spoke or saw in both her facial expression and eyes. So…she was afraid of sharks…but not of him…?

The irony that lingered in Kisame's mind was so thick that it could be cut with a knife.

But it was because of that irony that made him want to play a small prank on her while she was still in the lake…

Kisame waded to shore, making it seem like he was done with his bath. He shook most of the water from his hair and even used his own black shirt to dry his skin; just like he did when he was a kid and had no money to even buy his own pair of sandals. He grabbed his boxers and pants, putting the two articles of clothing on. The last thing he wanted was to be accused of being a weird pervert.

With little effort, the blue man focused a small amount of chakra to the bottoms f his feet and began to tip-toe across the water's surface towards his unsuspecting prey. Dariru was too busy making sure there wasn't anything dangerous lurking beneath the surface to think the danger was behind her and _above_ the surface. When she was just an arm's length away, the man focused the chakra to his knees and dropped to them, staying hunched over so she wouldn't see his reflection. It wasn't until he was a hair's length away that he attacked.

The S-ranked criminal bit her shoulder, but not hard enough to break the skin; and she screamed. The girl pulled away just as Kisame threw his head back to let out a howl of laughter at her reaction. But his sign of great amusement quickly changed to a sign of pain and surprise when her tiny fist collided harshly with his nose.

* * *

An exclamation of pain came out of his mouth while a startled gasp came from hers. His hands reached up to the broken and bleeding nose while hers covered her own mouth in shock at what she had done as he kept groaning in pain. The chakra that was focused in his legs to keep him atop the lake's surface had slithered away, for his body fell through the surface, drenching him, and his pants, once more.

Dariru didn't mean to punch him! Well, she did, but she didn't think her fist would meet _his_ face! Of course, he _did_ scare her, and the water had been bringing back memories of the nightmares she had been having more and more frequently. The instant she had set foot in the lake she was afraid that somehow, someway, that monster would drag her down to that dark, deadly abyss and she truly would be eaten alive. She knew that sounded extremely paranoid and highly illogical, but her imagination had the most convincing of ways to make her surrounding seem deadly or to make a shadow look like the monster's growing form…

So really, for Kisame to scare her like that while her nerves were in over-drive made her think that he deserved it. Still, she had to apologize to him.

"I'm so sorry!" she gasped, lowering her hands to reach out and touch him, to show she was genuinely sorry. But when the warmth of her arms left her tiny breasts she immediately realized she was still naked. She quickly submerged herself until the cool liquid was brushing against her collar bone.

Kisame groaned again as he brought one hand from his nose, blood dripping from his fingers and mingling with the untainted lake. Her eyes wandered to the blood running down from his lips and chin. It was such a pretty color…and stood out so beautifully against his blue skin.

She could stare at the crimson liquid for hours, but she didn't want to be caught staring. Dariru cleared her throat and mumbled, "Are you okay?"

"Huh?" He seemed confused, as if he didn't recall what had just occurred, "Oh! Um…" He washed the blood from his hands and replied, "I'm fine. Just a little blood, nothing too serious."

"You sure?" she was trying to sound more polite than concerned. She honestly didn't mean to hurt him and was beginning to feel guilty.

"Yeah, I'm sure," he groaned, tilting his head back to keep the blood from flowing out, "Good punch by the way," he added.

"Oh, uh…thanks."

The man grinned and pointed to shore with his thumb, "Go ahead and uh…get dressed. I won't look."

Dariru nodded and mumbled her thanks before stepping on shore, making sure her two private areas were still hidden from view out of instinct.

* * *

It was nightfall. There was a new moon and the clouds had covered the few stars that had decided to come out that night. Everything was covered in darkness except for the two renegade shinobi, who were camping by the lake hidden in the middle of the forest, for they were sitting in front of a crackling fire, unaffected by the night's blanket of comforting darkness. Both of them were clothed and dry, their skin starting to become too hot due to the fire's heat. Kisame's nose had stopped bleeding and was swollen, but it would be back to normal by the afternoon. The girl still felt guilty for punching him, even though a part of her was telling her he deserved it.

"So what do you guys do in that organization your partner was talking about?" Dariru figured he wouldn't giver her a straight answer, but it was worth trying to start some small talk.

A wicked grin appeared on his face, his pointed teeth glistening in the fire's shifting light, "If I told you, then I'd have to kill you."

She returned the grin, "Or let me join you."

A burst of laughter erupted from the S-ranked criminal before it subsided to a chuckle, "You've never even _killed _a man. What makes you think you'd be able to join?"

A shy shrug joined the girl's reply, "Well, blood doesn't bother me…so killing someone shouldn't be _that_ hard."

_Pure ignorance, _Kisame said to himself, _she may enjoy the idea of blood and death, but it may drive her insane once she first experiences it. _He felt himself frown at this notion; _she's got herself mixed into a world that could be the end of her. She's nothing like her surname says she is. _It was then that he found himself wondering what he should do with her. Should he leave her in the night, before her nightmares have any time to wake her, and let the world decide her fate as a lone renegade kunoichi? Or would he take her to the Akatsuki hideout and end her life then and there? It would be a mercy killing, but even so, a part of him was reluctant to hold a knife to her throat. If he could do it, he could always ask Itachi to kill her for him; at least his partner would make her death quick and painless, unlike some of the other Akatsuki members. Of course, there was the third option of letting her live and taking her inside the hideout…

No. That option was out of the question. The only "outsiders" that got in alive were new recruits, Jinchuuriki, or whores. And Dariru was neither of the three. In the end, he would have to take the bad guy option.

But which one would he choose? Let her live only to suffer? Or kill her with the knowledge that he betrayed her?

Good lord, why was he thinking that he'll "betray" her by killing her? This was his original plan all along! To let this annoying, pestering girl travel with him until they had arrived at the hideout, where he would kill her without hesitation; without _any_ remorse! And yet, here he sat, staring at her with a pondering face, wondering what her fate should be.

The one dilemma in his plan, the one that could ruin it and make his life more difficult, had come true:

He had become attached to her. And in two days time, his decision would haunt his memories for quite sometime. Just like his late sensei's face still did to this day…

"Kisame?" her voice pulled him from his thoughts. Concern was all over her face and was highlighted by the flames, "You okay?"

He stood abruptly and stalked into the dark forest, leaving the warm fire and girl behind. He didn't look back, even as she kept calling out to him, wondering if he was okay and where he was going.

She had called him by his first name; he was now a familiar to her. And he had called her by her first name more than once. She had been a familiar to him ever since he had started doing that, and he had been oblivious to it for the whole trip. Until now.

In his frustration, Kisame punched at a tree, creating a deep, splintered dent in the trunk and ignored the dull pain in his knuckles as splinters dug themselves deeper into his skin. He needed to think without her curious eyes staring at him…unfazed by his appearance…


	10. Good Intentions Part 1

Chapter Ten: Good Intentions Part One.

**Author's Note:**** Hey guys! Here's chapter ten! This was quite fun to write to be honest; except for the angsty/emo part at the beginning :/. I hope you all like it anyway :). As always, thank you guys SO much for all the reviews, favorites, alerts and views! I really do appreciate them all! Hope you guys are having a fun summer vacation! :D I know I am :)**

**Also…I know I haven't updated my other fan-fic in a loooong time. But don't worry! I will update it soon! I haven't abandoned it! :D**

Dariru watched him storm off into the woods. She called out to him, wanting to make amends in case it was her fault for causing him to act this way; but he ignored her and soon she couldn't see his large form lumbering through the forest anymore. What had she done to make him upset? Was it because she had called him by his first name? Or was it because she had shown interest in joining that organization he was a part of? She had been serious when she had made the suggestion. After all, she had no where else to go. There was no way she could burden her parents by having them hide her, a renegade kunoichi, in their own home; in fact, it could get them killed. And since she and Kisame seemed to have a "friendship" of sorts, it didn't seem wrong for her to suggest joining the group that has helped keep him alive. Or was it something else…?

_You're burdening him, _Her mind scolded; _you've been burdening him ever since you started traveling with him you greedy little bitch. He's probably fed up with you always there bothering him with pointless questions and conversations. You've been nothing but trouble for him. Hell, it's because of you that an oinin found the two of you! Why don't you do him a favor and leave in the middle of the night? Surely that'd be the __only__ good thing you'd be doing for him._

Dariru hugged her knees close to her chest as she bombarded herself with hateful words and phrases. Maybe that degrading part of her was right…she was just a burden to him. She hasn't done anything useful at all. All she's done was cause more trouble for him…

Leaves rustled as the night's breeze slithered through the branches of the forest. The kunoichi lay on her side, her back facing the forest, and prepared herself for sleep. She would leave him during the night, even though it pained her to even think about such a thing. But as a way to say "sorry" for all that she's done, to say "thank-you" for what he had done for her, and to say "good-bye", she would stop by the town Kisame had mentioned and buy a balm that would soothe his swollen nose. It was the least she could do, even if it wasn't much…

When Kisame returned to the campsite, Dariru had already fallen asleep. Her back was to the woods and the stripes on her tank-top were given an orange highlight by the flickering fire. The S-ranked criminal sat on the opposite side of the fire, leaning his back against a tree, and let out a quiet exasperated sigh. He had decided what he would do with the girl. It had made everything inside of him either holler in disagreement or agree hastily. Both sides had argued inside of his head, in his gut, and even in his chest. There were so many advantages and disadvantages to the plan that he wasn't even sure if it would work. And yet, as he caught glimpses of the girl through the flickering fire, some part of him told him that it would work. It _had_ to work.

His eyelids became heavy, his mind exhausted from trying to find a solution to this problem; and though the S-ranked criminal tried to fight the wonderful thought of sleep away, his eyelids closed and the darkness lulled him into sleep.

A god was on her side; she didn't know which one, but it was on her side. When Dariru had woken, the sun was just starting to peer over the tree tops and panic gripped her chest. Her nightmares had not woken her in the middle of the night like she had hoped. Surely Kisame would be awake by now…But then she had seen him, sitting against a tree…_asleep_. The girl started thanking every god known and unknown to man as she began to gather her small bag.

She started her walk towards the woods, but stopped next to the sleeping man. The girl didn't even know if he really was sleeping, but she was willing to bet that he was. And though she was, sort of, willing to go, to relieve him of her uselessness, she couldn't help but admire his features. Most people would probably be terrified or disgusted by his appearance; but she found it appealing. The blue skin and hair, the sharp shark-like features…in all honesty, it suited his personality very well. She couldn't imagine him with "normal" skin and hair without laughing at how ridiculous it looked. Plus, he had a very nice body which must have been developed by the years he had spent wielding Samehada.

Dariru shook her head and reluctantly looked away from him. She couldn't stay with him, no matter how much she wanted to. She's just a burden to him and his travels, that's all. After forcing her feet to step forward, the renegade Kirigakure kunoichi walked silently through the forest and left her friend to his blissful sleep.

"I'm sorry," a short old woman repeated to the four oinins that stood before her and the group of villagers behind her, "but ve 'ave not seen any blue man or girl come through 'ere."

Dai Mamoru was doing his best to keep his temper under control, and the gathering storm clouds didn't help keep him calm either. The older woman and all the villagers had been saying the same thing over and over again the minute he and his team had entered the tiny village:

"We haven't seen any one new come through here." And other words to that same effect.

These villagers knew at least _something_ about Takeo Dariru, he was sure of it. After all, the girl's footsteps had led them to this village. She couldn't have gotten far…

Kunio grabbed Dai Mamoru's shoulder and pulled him back, trying his best to keep the lead oinin under control. "Are you sure?" the large man seemed to have growled to the group of peasants. The women in the group shuddered in fear at Kunio's voice, while the men took defensive stances as if they could stand a chance against the large oinin.

The old woman, who was unfazed by all the commotion, nodded her head again, "Yes. No vone new 'as come 'ere. Ve vould know if they did. This is a small village. Ve rarely get any outsiders."

Of course, even with the old woman's reassurance, the three older oinins still tried to get something out of her. The youngest oinin, however, was tired with interrogating this senile woman. It was obvious she knew nothing. And if she were lying, so what? They'd find the girl more easily now that she was traveling alone. As the boy looked about the tiny place idly, he caught a glimpse of red and grey stripes disappearing behind a straw hut. He vaguely remembered that the picture that Dai Mamoru had of the girl showed her in a red and grey striped tank-top. Could that have been her?

Very cautiously, Ryuu walked toward the straw hut and peered around its corner. Standing just a few feet ahead of him was a barrel of water and a girl with that silly striped tank-top on with her back to him. His grin hid the excitement that he was feeling inside. While the other oinin were doing everything they could to find this kunoichi, the least pro-active oinin was the one to find her; _and_ she had no idea he was nearby.

The gods were on his side.

Ryuu made the tiger symbol and mumbled out, "_Suiton: Mizu Bunshin no jutsu!_" Two water clones of himself emerged silently out of the barrel. One leaped onto the roof of the straw hut with the expertise of a cat, while the other went to the left in preparation to flank her. The clone on the hut crouched down, tensed up, and jumped in front of the girl. She let out a surprised gasp before stumbling a few steps backwards. The second clone grabbed her from behind, grabbing both of her wrists and then pulling both of her arms across her chest like a straight-jacket. The real Ryuu walked up to the struggling girl and clamped his hand over her mouth, just in case she decided to cry out for help.

"You've been causing us a lot of trouble," he said quietly, not wanting his teammates to find out she was here yet. "That freaky partner of yours did a good job at covering up your tracks. We almost gave up looking for you. Good thing you decided to stray away from him." Her brow furrowed in anger and she kept struggling against the water clone; but every time she did, the clone just pulled her arms back even harder. "Now, now, now," Ryuu waved a finger teasingly at her, "behave little girl. Or your arms might pop of their sockets."

The girl glared at him furiously but her struggling ceased. Ryuu had to keep himself from laughing at this girl. How was this tiny little thing able to stay alive with one of the most dangerous S-ranked criminals? Perhaps she used her natural features to keep the creature under submission? It made the youngest oinin wonder how much of a relationship this girl and the blue freak had with each other.

With his other hand, Ryuu began to pet the girl's hair, just to piss her off. She tried to pull her head away, but the hand that was on her mouth jerked her back into place. "Don't worry," he said in fake reassurance as he kept stroking her dark brown hair, "it'll all be over soon for both you and your buddy. I might even try to convince the others to give you a quick death if you wish."

"Don't worry," the short boy said in fake reassurance as he kept stroking her dark brown hair, "it'll all be over soon for both you and your buddy. I might even try to convince the others to give you a quick death if you wish."

Dariru felt her heart quicken at his words and began to panic on the inside. Did they know where Kisame was? Or had they killed him already? No…no, Kisame's not an easy opponent. He wouldn't die so easily. But the boy said something about "the others"…how many people was he with? Were all them shinobi, or just this kid?

She had to get out of here. She had to run away from where Kisame's camp is. At least he'd have a chance to not get caught by these people…whoever they may be. The balm she had bought for the blue man rested in her little pack along with the rest of her items; and though it was a fairly light item, it seemed like the heaviest one in the pack as she leaned backwards against the water clone. The boy's hand released her mouth as she pulled her knees to her chest, and then shot her feet out, hitting him in the face. The water clone and the girl fell backwards and the fake boy dispersed into a puddle of water once it hit the ground.

Dariru rolled out of the way just as the second water clone went to punch the ground where she had been. The clone lunged at her and she rolled away once more. The foot of the real short boy kicked her back and she fell on the puddle that had once been a water clone face-first. She went to sit up but a hand emerged from the water, grabbing the collar of her tank-top and pulling her back down to the earth. A foot stomped on her spine and she had to grit her teeth to keep a pained groan from escaping her.

"Little bitch," the boy hissed as he ground the heel of his foot further into her back, "you'll pay for that!" Dariru closed her eyes in concentration, remembering the barrel of water that was nearby. With haste she made the tiger symbol with her hands and muttered to herself: _Suiton: Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu!_

The foot on her back shifted to her head and began to crush it further into the puddle beneath her. "Quiet you!" he commanded just as Dariru's water clone grabbed the boy's face from behind and began to force its fingers into his mouth. The boy gagged and struggled just enough for the real Dariru to yank herself from the hand's grip and roll out of the puddle and from beneath his foot. The water clone's arm dispersed into water as half of it disappeared in the attacker's mouth. He began coughing violently as the water clogged his windpipes dangerously, but Dariru didn't stick around long to help him out.

As her clone began to hold off her attacker's clone, the real Dariru ran past the choking boy, trying to get as far away from Kisame's campsite as possible; until a large man stepped in front of her escape route.

"What are you doing over here Ryuu?" by the time his sentence was out, Dariru had already veered away from him, just barely missing his great arms as they tried to trap her. She kept running. She had to keep running. If any of these guys caught her, especially the big one, she would be _dead_. It was her job to be evasive and quick like a rabbit; their job, whether they knew it or not, was to be heavy and slow like some plodding beast. However, if they gave her an opening, she would take it without hesitation. And she knew that they would do the same with her.

Dariru turned right and skidded to a halt at what was before her. Two men were interrogating the whole village, but they had paused to look at the intruder. One man looked strangely familiar, as if she had seen him before when she was smaller, and the other looked sad even though his eyes showed surprise in them.

The familiar looking man grinned and said to his partner, "It's _her._"

_God damn it…_

Tadashi Tamotsu was an oinin who specialized in defense and had saved many lives because of his skill. However, no matter how many lives he saved, his paycheck never seemed to increase. In fact, he was barely able to pay rent every month with his payment. So, as time went by, he had grown to be a greedy man, but he never showed this part of him to anyone else. But as soon as his temporary leader, Dai Mamoru, told him that the girl they had been looking for was standing right in front of them, Tadashi Tamotsu came up with a plan that went against Dai Mamoru's.

Dai Mamoru just wanted to grab the girl and return to Kirigakure as soon as possible; and if Hoshigaki Kisame got in their way then they would handle it. However, if the blue man _didn't_ get in the way then Dai Mamoru had told them to just "Forget about him and leave". But Tadashi Tamotsu wasn't going to have any of it. The greedy oinin knew of the large bounty that was on the strangely-colored man's head, which was the main purpose for him joining Dai Mamoru. And if that girl had survived _this_ long with the criminal, then she must mean _something_ to him. He didn't care about the details, but for whatever reason, the blue man wanted her _alive. _And Tadashi Tamotsu planned to use her as bait…

Until he saw her running in the opposite direction from where her footprints had lead them…

Was she trying to lead them away from Hoshigaki Kisame? Or was she acting out of instinct? Either way, he wasn't going to take any chances.

As Dai Mamoru ran after her with Atsushi Kunio, Tadashi Tamotsu went after Jun Ryuu. The sad-looking man knew that this kid would do anything as long as he gained something from it. He grabbed the short boy by the arm and pulled him back.

"Hey! What the--!? Tamotsu-san?" the boy looked at him in confusion, "What the hell man? We have to get her!"

Tadashi Tamotsu kept a firm grip on the boy's harm and whispered, "You do realize she could lead us to Hoshigaki Kisame, right?"

"Yeah, so?" the boy was impatient.

"If we bring his head to the Mizukage, we'll have more money than what we would get in ten years!" He may have been over exaggerating a bit, but the point was getting across to the boy.

Ryuu looked him up and down, trying to detect a lie of any sort. Finally, he asked, "What do I gotta do?"

Kunio and Mamoru had cornered the girl just then and were attempting to catch her, but she was quick like a little rabbit running from a fox. She was bound to escape the four of them soon.

Tadashi Tamotsu pointed at her and whispered, "Put a genjutsu on her. Make her think she's still running west, when really she's running to the east."

The boy furrowed his brow in confusion, "But her footprints came from the east…"

The man lifted a finger and smiled wickedly, "Which is where Hoshigaki Kisame is."

A grin of understanding covered Ryuu's face as he made the appropriate hand symbols for performing the genjutsu. The girl escaped Kunio and Mamoru and stumbled for a split second, shook her head and ran in their general direction. Tamotsu pulled Ryuu behind a stack of broken wood with him as the girl ran past them. They both peered around the stack and watched her run towards the east; towards Hoshigaki Kisame.

When Hoshigaki Kisame woke up the sun was blocked out by dark grey clouds. He immediately stood up and looked about the campsite, cursing to himself for falling asleep. The fire had died down to a few glowing ambers in a pile of black and grey soot. And there was no sign of Dariru anywhere. The S-ranked criminal looked about the campsite hurriedly, wondering where the girl had gone off to. Perhaps she had gone to the village to buy something? But there was nothing of hers that she left behind at the campsite. Did she leave with the intention of never coming back? Or maybe…she was expecting to meet him at the village…?

He shook his head at the stupid hopeful thought. All signs pointed out that she had left him and didn't plan on coming back. If that was what she wanted then so be it. It definitely made his job of getting rid of her easier. And yet, as the blue criminal gathered his things to leave for the hideout, he couldn't help but notice the little pang in his gut and the slight sinking of his heart. He really was attached to her…and he had started to believe that she was attached to him too when she told him that she wasn't afraid of him.

So much for that…

The large blue man walked out of the forest, with Samehada secured on his back, and began to go west towards the small village the Akatsuki protected in exchange for goods. The road curved to the right around a large boulder, but before the man could go right, the sound of running footsteps filled the quiet air ahead of him. He pressed his back against the boulder in case the approaching being was hostile. But as the footsteps got closer Kisame could tell they were light and feminine. Could it be Dariru…? If it was her…why was she running so frantically? Without thinking, he stepped out in the middle of the road just as a girl rounded the corner. She shrieked in surprise and tried to skid to a halt, but fell on her butt instead. Kisame looked down at her and saw the familiar red and grey tank-top, short dark brown hair and black leggings beneath tan shorts. It was her.

When Dariru looked up at him, fear and shock took over her face as she asked aloud in disbelief, "K-Kisame?"

He looked down at her with a stern face, "You don't seem too happy to see me."

The girl stood up and shook her head. "No! H-how did I—I was going west! Unless…" she was speaking complete gibberish but the fear was obvious in her voice. Had she been lying last night? Was she really afraid of him?

"What are you talking about?" He meant to sound bored; it was the best he could do to keep the anger out of his voice. It was then that she started to push his chest hurriedly.

"You have to go! Right now! GO! Get out of here! RUN!" she kept pushing him, trying to get him to run away. But from what? What got her so scared that she wanted him to run from it?

A needle shot through the air and pierced cleanly through the webbing between Dariru's thumb and index finger before landing straight up in the dirt road. The sudden attack took both of them off guard and even a small squeak of pain escaped the girl's mouth as she pulled her hand back instinctively, cradling it for a moment against her chest. It was then that Kisame felt the presence of strong shinobi auras. He looked up and saw four masked oinin standing atop the boulder. _That's what she was warning me about,_ He mumbled inside of his head.

The oinin with two red markings over the "eyes" said to his teammates, "Kill Hoshigaki Kisame. Keep the girl alive if you can."

Immediately the shortest oinin jumped at Kisame, with a kunai knife gripped in his hands.


	11. Good Intentions Part 2

Chapter Eleven: Good Intentions Part Two

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**Author's Notes:**** Thank you guys for all the reviews, views, favorites and alerts! They really keep me going! :D I'd write more in the Notes but…It's almost 1 a.m. over here and I want to get this chapter done and over with XD. Enjoy!**

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Kisame gripped Samehada's handle, preparing to block the attack, until the largest oinin came charging forward and tackled him to the ground. He grunted and began to punch at the attacker's head while his knees smashed against the oinin's gut. Out of the corner of his eye, Kisame could see Dariru rush in to help but was stopped when the shorter oinin landed in front of her and started slashing out at her with the kunai. The larger oinin managed to punch the S-ranked criminal in the gut; and in return, Kisame bit down on the crook of the man's neck violently.

The man on top howled in pain and rolled off of Kisame once the blue man ripped a chunk of meat from the attacker's bones. It was a savage attack, but at least now he could stand up. A second oinin appeared and threw a handful of needles at Kisame. The S-ranked criminal crossed his arms in front of his face as a shield against the needle barrage. Most of thin weapons went straight through his cloak, but the ones that did penetrate his skin didn't hit any vital nerves.

Time to use his own weapon.

As soon as Kisame had pulled Samehada from its sheath, the body of the short oinin collided with the new attacker and the two fell to the ground in a confused pile. Dariru appeared next to the giant blue man, her fist up in preparation to attack as a long trail of her own blood streamed down her arm. But the blue man was too busy looking at the three oinin that lay pitifully on the ground.

"Why were you afraid of these three idiots anyway?" Kisame asked the still tense Dariru.

She shook her head and stared at their surroundings intently, "There were four…"

By the time Kisame had sensed the fourth oinin's presence behind him, it was too late…but thankfully, Dariru reacted in time to save her partner an injury. The girl dropped to the ground and swiped at Kisame's ankles with her foot. The blue man's feet gave in from under him and he fell backwards just as their new opponent slashed at the air with a kunai.

Kisame rolled out of the way and stood up quickly in time to see Dariru and the new attacker have-it-out. She would punch and the oinin would block and counter. The girl would evade it and attack with a series of kicks. Kisame gripped Samehada's handle, intending to rip open the man's back; but it was then that Dariru tried to round-house kick the oinin in the head. The man caught her ankle and threw her at the S-ranked criminal.

A quick curse came from Kisame before he released Samehada in order to catch the oncoming girl by the waist. He hurriedly placed her on the ground just in time to evade the kunai that slashed out at him. Another lunge with the kunai and Kisame was able to grab the man's wrist; which used to turn the masked-man's arm over, and crashed his fist down to the oinin's elbow. Sockets popped out of place, bones snapped into little pieces and the kunai fell out of the screaming man's hand. The S-ranked criminal grabbed the attacker's head, and with one quick motion, broke the neck and ceased the man's agonizing screams.

Kisame picked up Samehada just as one of the remaining three oinin's spoke, "Murderer…you'll pay for that!"

Again, Dariru stood next the giant blue criminal in a defensive stance as the two of them faced the three oinin. The largest oinin was wounded, so he shouldn't be too much of a problem. But the other two could be…

It was then that the cloudy early afternoon sky was illuminated by a streak of lightning for a split second. The earth-trembled as thunder bellowed shortly after the lightning had disappeared. And then, cold drops of water fell onto the five humans below, slowly at first; but the slow drizzle became a downpour in seconds. The battlefield was now suited for all five of them, and yet, no one made a move. Everyone was waiting for the enemy to make the first move, to start the brutal fight that was to come.

And it was Jun Ryuu, the shortest oinin there, who made this move.

The boy made the tiger symbol, preparing to make a water clone. Dariru grabbed a shuriken out of her small pack and threw it at the boy, but the slimmer of the two oinins got in the way and blocked the pointed star with a handful of needles. The largest oinin then charged at Kisame, forcing the blue man backwards and away from the others. Of course, the S-ranked criminal knew that this was part of the oinins' plans, to keep him away from Dariru. Had she been just some other girl, Kisame would have just left her to the mercy of these ninja-hunters. However, she _wasn't_ just some other girl anymore…though he hated to admit it to himself, he liked her company. And he was damned sure that he would at least _try_ to help her out.

A punch came rushing at his face, but Kisame easily side-stepped out of the way and shredded the man's arm to complete uselessness with Samehada. The oinin bellowed at the pain just as Kisame began to rake the bloody sword across the man's shoulder blades. Blood and flesh clung onto the tips of Samehada's pointed scales as the massive weapon kept raking up more flesh and muscle from the screaming man beneath it. The oinin fell forward, seemingly lifeless. Kisame rested Samehada on his shoulder and was about to go help Dariru out when he heard something move from behind him. The large oinin growled just as a kunai came rushing down. The S-ranked criminal pulled back, but the knife was still able to cut through the cloak and slice open his shoulder.

The man was nothing more than a walking heap of blood and ripped skin. He should have been dead by now…

"I won't die…" The oinin grumbled as he yanked his mask off with his good hand, "not so long as my teammates are alive."

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Kisame rolled his eyes at the man's statement, "Save me the 'Good Guy' speech, and fight me already!"

Dariru winced as the taller oinin's needles punctured her forearms. She hurriedly yanked most of them out, thankful that none of her nerves had been damaged yet. One of the shorter oinin's water clones began to run towards Kisame, but Dariru stopped it by round-house kicking the clone in the face. It immediately dispersed into water just as the real oinin threw a shuriken at her. There was no time to dodge or block, but there was time to make a substitution. Her vision blurred for a split second as a log from the nearby forest took her place, but she was soon greeted by the refuge of green leaves and the sight of the shocked oinin as he saw the log fall over with his shuriken lodged into it. The boy was looking around frantically now, his back always to her. This was her chance to get him.

Very slowly, Dariru pulled out a kunai knife and gripped its handle tightly. When the boy was looking to his right, the girl leapt out of her hiding place and came rushing down to him. The wind and cold rain stung her face, but the warmth of the oinin's blood splattering on her cheek and nose was strangely comforting. She had stabbed him in the side of the neck, and before a scream of misery could even be mustered, Dariru pulled the knife out and began to stab him repeatedly in the neck. Even when he fell lifelessly to the ground she followed, straddling his back and gouging the knife deep into his skull. More blood coated her face and began to seep through her gloves and smear itself all over her hands. Even bits of the boy's brain started to come out every time she yanked the weapon out of him.

_Make sure he's dead_. _Don't take any chances. Follow the rules Dad taught you…If you're not sure, then remove his head from his shoulders_.

And Dariru would have too, if someone hadn't have pulled her off by her hair and tossed her aside. She got up as quickly as she could, but before she could even attack the slimmer oinin, Kisame came up from behind him and broke his neck. There was the loud sickening sound of bone cracking out of place before the body slumped to the muddy ground. Dariru looked down, not to stare at the twisted body, but at the blood, which was being washed away by the rain, run down her arm and off her fingertips. She had just killed someone. By her own hand.

But the most frightening part of the whole thing was that she didn't care. She didn't care that the boy wouldn't be able to see his family or friends again; didn't care that he might have suffered through his death. In fact, she was hoping that he had suffered. All of that blood…it was so fascinating, so beautiful so…so…addicting. She wanted to see more blood spill from her enemies. _From now on,_ the girl began to vow to herself, _I will never leave an enemy live. I will make them bleed, and suffer for crossing me._

It was the sudden _poof_ that snapped her out of her thoughts. The dead body was gone, and in its place…was a log.

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Kisame's heart skipped a beat once he had heard that dreadful _poofing _noise. There was a log instead of a deformed body. _Bastard!_ He hollered to himself, _He used a substitution!_ The S-ranked criminal began to look about their surroundings, hoping to see some sort of trace of the oinin. But there was nothing; he couldn't even sense the opponent's presence anymore. Did he turn tail and run already?

It was the look of horror on Dariru's face that told him where the oinin was, but he had seen her dead-give-away too late. Cold steel dug into Kisame's back and dragged itself diagonally across his spine before yanking itself out of his skin. The S-ranked criminal couldn't help but roar in pain and even dropped down to his knees, his grip tightening on Samehada's handle. He heard Dariru's feet shuffle as she engaged in combat with their final moving opponent, but Kisame was more focused on the anger the wound was causing to grow within him. How could he have been so stupid as to let this oinin get behind him!? _Mother fucking son of a bitch! _Kisame gritted his pointed teeth as he punched the muddy ground with his free hand, struggling to stand up on his feet; _I'm going to rip him to SHREADS!_

It was then that the oinin kneed the girl in the gut and kicked her to the ground. The masked man raised a fist to attack her once more, but the blue criminal caught it in his own hand and kept it in place. Fury made Kisame's grip tighten around the man's smaller fist. The man tried to pull free from the criminal's grip, but the shark-like man just tightened his hold more and more until he could feel bones popping out of place from beneath his palm. The oinin began making pitiful noises as his hand broke to the point of no use. Kisame gave the man's broken hand one last squeeze before letting go.

The oinin tenderly gripped his wrist, giving the blue-man time to raise his sword and drop it on the man's back and yanking it downward. Skin and muscle ripped open to reveal ebony bone; blood splashed onto the S-ranked criminals angry face. As if unable to take anymore of it, the final oinin fell to the ground and curled up into a sobbing, bleeding ball.

"God have mercy," he choked out, "Please…don't kill me, please, please, please."

Kisame lifted his sword above the man's head, making sure the blunt end of it was pointed down at the target. Then, with one powerful downward motion of his arms, the end of Samehada crushed the man's skull flat, making its contents to ooze out of his nostrils, ears, mouth, and now empty eye sockets. This time, there was no log to replace the body.

He went to sheath Samehada on his back, but the sudden stinging pain of his new wound seemed to hiss, "Don't even think about it buddy." A frustrated snarl escaped Kisame as he rested the giant sword against his shoulder. Dariru stood up and walked next to him. She looked exhausted, but he was too pissed about his wound to care that much. In obvious anger, the blue man stomped off towards the tiny village, doing his best not to limp at all.

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Dariru followed him. Even though she knew this was all her fault, she couldn't leave him, not when he was injured this badly. And if he was angry with her, then she would endure it; after all, she believed that he had every right to be angry at her. She could even notice the slight limp in his strides. At one point she tried to offer him some help but he shrugged her off and snarled, "I don't need your help." After that, she made sure to stay behind him.

Once they got to the village, two men lead them to an empty hut, which Dariru assumed the villagers kept empty in case the organization's members needed to spend the night. Kisame started to take off his cloak and shirt as one man started a fire in the tiny fireplace. The other one asked nervously, "Is there anything you need?"

"Just get out!" Kisame growled as he started going through his pockets for any medical supplies. It was obvious his anger was making him think irrationally.

"Fresh bandages and a needle and thread please," Dariru told the man quietly.

He nodded, "Right away," and left with his partner. Dariru turned to watch Kisame continue to search his belongings for anything useful. It was then that she started to see some of his other injuries, most of which being bruises. He only had two open wounds: The one on his back and another on his right shoulder, which was really just a little cut compared to the other one.

Just as it seemed he was getting more frustrated by the fact that he had absolutely no medical supplies on him, the girl pulled out the balm she had bought earlier and walked over to him to hand it over. "This should help soothe your bruises," she muttered. Kisame looked at the balm skeptically before taking it from her hand and mumbled out a "thanks". The two men returned and gave Dariru the supplies she had asked for and even a little more.

One man gave her a black bottle which, judging by the sound its contents made, contained a liquid of some sort. She gave him a puzzled look and he responded, "Peroxide. It should help clean out the wounds." Dariru gave them a polite smile and quietly dismissed them. She went over to the frustrated blue man and gave him the bottle of peroxide and fresh bandages while she kept the needle thread. The thread was black and thick, just like it should be, and started to pull a good amount of it from the tiny ball it was in. She bit the thread off once she had a nice amount of it and began to thread the needle. Once it was ready, the girl approached her companion once more and sat behind him.

"What are you doing?" he grumbled through a mouthful of bandaging as he tried to patch up his right shoulder by himself; but it was obvious his anger was dwindling away now.

Dariru licked her lips nervously, "I'm going to give you stitches."

"What for?" He finished tying the knot on his shoulder and began to rub some of the balm on his ribs and forearms where the bruising was at its worse. "There's someone in the Akatsuki whose attacks are based off of threads. He can stitch it up for me when we get there."

_Did he really just say "we"?_ A hopeful voice chirped inside of her. He was going to take her to the base! Excitement filled Dariru, but it was pushed back by concern once her eyes caught a glimpse of the deep gouge in his back. "Are you sure you'll make it that long?"

She could practically hear him roll his eyes, "Yes, I can make it that long. Just wrap some bandages over it and leave me alone." Though the girl completely understood why the blue man was angry, she still couldn't help but notice her heart sink at the way he was acting. But she kept quiet. She placed the threaded needle to the side and suddenly noticed all the scars he had received from past battles. Most of them were very faint, practically invisible to the human eye, but she could see them. Apparently, this wasn't the first time someone had attacked Kisame from behind.

Shaking her mind back to reality, the girl grabbed the bottle of peroxide, removed one of her gloves to put the peroxide on, and the rest of the unused bandages.

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Kisame wasn't angry at Dariru, but that didn't stop him from glaring silently at the fire on the other side of the hut. He didn't make a noise as the girl behind him started to dab some parts of his wound with her glove, which was covered with peroxide. It didn't hurt; in fact, she was being quite gentle on him…and it felt good. Her cold fingertips would occasionally touch his bare skin, making him bite his lip to keep fantasies of him "warming" those cold fingers out his mind. _God damn it!_ His pointed teeth clenched in frustration, _when will she finally stop!? _But when she did stop applying the peroxide, the criminal started to miss her touch. _No, _he told himself, _no, don't even think about it. I don't need her to feel good._ And he was confident about it then, even when she started to place the bandaging over his open wound; and even more so when she pressed her palm a little too hard on the injury.

He inhaled sharply at the sudden pain and the pressure was immediately lifted.

"I'm sorry!" She said quickly, "I'm sorry! Didn't mean to do that! Sorry!" And she resumed her work, with more caution this time.

A confident feeling rose in Kisame; he could feel her fingers on his back and he didn't have any thoughts about her; none at all. But the confidence morphed into a blush when he felt her arms wrap around his chest and a certain part of her chest area pressing slightly against his back. At first he thought she was hugging him. Though _why_ she would do such a thing _now_ was beyond him; women were strange creatures after all. When looked down, he saw her gloved hand passing the bandage to the bare one. Once the bandaged was in the bare hand, the pleasant pressure on his back retreated.

The shark-like man held his face in his palm, slightly pissed off that the hot blush on his cheeks refused to go away…along with another problem that was starting to develop down south. _This needs to stop…right now._ He decided. Once he started to feel her arms start to wrap around his chest again, he grabbed the bandage and passed it to her other hand.

"Oh," surprise was written all over her voice, "well uh…thank you." Kisame didn't answer her and continued to do the same thing until she had tied a tight and secure knot on his back. Dariru patted his shoulder gently and said tiredly, "There, all done." The girl stood up and walked over to the fire place and fed more wood the famished fire, which seemed to crackle happily. He should thank her; it would be the polite thing to do, especially since she just finished patching him up. But he didn't know how. He didn't know why, but he just didn't! _Damn it, damn it, damn it, DAMN IT! It shouldn't be this hard to say "thank you"! _He immediately blamed her cold fingers for this trouble.

"I'm going to sleep," Dariru announced as she began to lie down at one end of the small hut, "You probably should too if you plan on walk—"

"Thank you!" He blurted out so suddenly that she even looked at him like he was slightly insane. _Congratulations Kisame…you just made things awkward_

And yet, she smiled at him. It was a small smile, but a smile nonetheless. "You're welcome." And she placed her head on the hard floor.

At first, the S-ranked criminal had no idea what to do. He just sat there in silence until he was positive the girl had fallen asleep. A cold breeze found its way into the hut, making Kisame but his top back on. He was quite certain that there would be more wind coming into the hut throughout the night. There was only one blanket in the hut and it wasn't made out of heavy material either; but it would provide some protection from the cold wind.

Of course, the smart thing for him to do would be to put his cloak back on. It has kept him warm throughout many cold nights, and this one would be no different. Yet, he did something that he never thought he would do:

He placed his Akatsuki cloak over the sleeping Dariru and wrapped himself in the thin blanket. The blue man sat in front of the fire, unaware of the tiny smile on his own face.


	12. The Leader's Decision

Chapter Twelve: The Leader's Decision.

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**Author's Notes:**** Yay! Number 12 is up :D. I really should work on my other Kisame fan fictions but…I'm on a role on this one so…meh! Anyway, thank you all for the reviews, favorites, views and alerts!!! They're the reason why I stay up 'til 1 in the morning to get these chapters done :D. This chapter might seem a bit rushed, but it makes up for the humor and it's longer! :D**

**Hidan: That's what—**

**Blood Thirsty Me: *yanks out vocal chords* NO! We're NOT having that joke anymore fuck-face! **

**Enjoy the chapter you guys/gals/whatever you wanna be called ;)**

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The walls were painted dark red, matching perfectly with pool of blood that covered the entire floor. She could feel the liquid lap against her knees and stain them with its shimmering ruby color. It was warm and thick, a good indication that it was fresh, and it felt so nice against her normally cold body. The surface parted to reveal an oinin mask, followed by the rest of the body. The only part of the floating body that was covered in blood was the neck. Without thinking, the girl lowered herself to her knees, the blood now up to her waist, and took the mask off. The boy's eyes had rolled to the back of his head and his mouth was slightly ajar. She knew who he was. He was the boy who had almost captured her in the village…and her first kill.

She caressed his face gently, mesmerized by how death made this boy look so peaceful, even though his expression was, in a way, terrifying. He was cold and stiff to the touch, just like a dead body should be, and his skin was white as a sheet. It was when she went to cover his face with the mask did the body move suddenly. Stiff, pale fingers clenched her arm and began to tug her down. Even as she tried to pull out of his grip, the girl could feel her strength being replaced by fear. It was then that a great, shadowy hand rose out of the pool of blood and grabbed onto the reanimated body. The hand pulled the boy below the surface and the girl along with him. Crimson blood turned into dark blue water as the hand kept pulling the two humans deeper and deeper. The girl kept trying to pull her arm out of the stiff hand, but it was no use; there was no escape.

A giant maw opened to reveal rows and rows of jagged teeth. When the boy's body had passed the first row of teeth, the monster's jaws closed. A tooth scraped against the girl's arm, her blood floating towards the surface like smoke from a fire. It was when the jaws opened did everything went black.

* * *

Dariru bolted upright and breathed heavily. That nightmare was different from the ones she normally had. She sighed and calmed her breathing, her fingers tightening their hold on Kisame's cloak. She was grateful that he had given her his cloak for the night, but that didn't stop her from worrying about his condition. That wound on his back was deep and would definitely reopen before they got to the base. Good lord…she was going to the organization's _base_! Their hideout! The very thought of seeing the place sent excited shivers through Dariru's body. Hell, she even wanted to leave _right now_! She looked at Kisame to see if he was awake, but his closed eyes and slow, calm breathing indicated that he wasn't.

Disappointment was the first thing she felt, followed by pity. There was no way that blanket was enough to keep him warm. She stood up, with his cloak in hand, and placed the black and red apparel over his chest gently. He shifted but didn't wake up. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth at the sight of him. And so, she stayed up for the remainder of the night until her companion had awoken.

* * *

Kisame had his cloak on, Samehada's sheath was strapped loosely on his back, he was holding the sword itself by the handle while the rest of it leaned against his shoulder, and he knew what he would tell Leader-sama when questioned about why he brought Dariru. The girl herself had already gathered her things and was ready to go before he had even woken up.

Time to leave.

It was late in the morning by the time the two left the tiny village and began to head out for the forest that concealed the Akatsuki hideout. The hideout itself was only ten miles away from the town; an easy walk for the two of them as long as his wound didn't protest too much.

"Since you're an outsider," Kisame began to explain to Dariru, "You'd either be unconscious or have a black bag over your head, so you wouldn't have any idea how you were getting to the base. But since I can't carry you right now and don't have a black bag with me, you'll just have to walk like a normal person."

"Oh darn," she replied sarcastically. "I probably won't remember a thing by the time we get there anyway."

Which reminded him…

"There are a few things I should warn you about," Kisame looked at her in all seriousness, "These guys aren't S-ranked criminals for a reason. Granted some of them are complete idiots," a picture of the masked Tobi and immortal Hidan popped into the blue-man's head, "they're dangerous. So if you're gonna wander about the place, make sure you're with either with me or someone _I_ trust."

Normally the girl would have said something along the lines of "I had no idea you cared so much!" But she understood that he was being serious and instead gave him a little nod and asked, "How many people do you trust?"

"Three."

She seemed to cringe at the low number, "Am I allowed to know who they are? Or is that top secret?"

A grin threatened to show on his face at her comment, "Well…I can't tell you who two of them are. But the third is Uchiha Itachi."

"Was he…the guy who was with you when I first met you?"

Kisame nodded. "He's one of the most feared people in the organization. So if you stick with him you'll be safe. And one more thing," he stepped in front of Dariru to give her an idea of how serious this was, "The first thing I need to do is speak with the leader about you. If he says it's alright, then you'll stay in the hideout."

It was very faint, but he was still able to catch the fear that appeared on her face. "And if it's not alright?" The girl asked, even though it was obvious she knew the answer to it.

"Then…you'll be killed." Those words…those dangerous little words were the hardest things he could say to her. Kisame was really hoping Leader-sama would let her live. But if the man didn't want an outsider in the base, then there was nothing that could be done. The shark-like criminal only hoped that he wouldn't be the one to end her if it came to that.

Dariru took in a shaky breath and nodded. "I understand." She looked at him with a determined smile on her face, "Let's keep going." After that the two walked in silence. It was obvious the girl knew what she was getting herself into by following him. But was she doing this out of over-confidence? Or ignorance?

The wound on his back began to sting as they kept going, making Kisame wince inwardly. Maybe he would stop by Kakuzu's room first instead of Leader's? At least then it would give the girl more time to live.

"Whoa," Dariru mumbled as she paused in her steps. Kisame stopped to see what she was talking about and saw it. In front of them was an enormous cave, its mouth blocked by boulders, pebbles and even large logs. "That's a big cave," she commented, her eyes widening at the site of the natural barrier.

Kisame didn't walk to the great barrier that had her attention, but more to the wall next to it. There was a tiny little rock resting against it, far away from the rest of the rocks that blocked the mouth.

"How do we get in?" she asked him. It was then that Kisame pushed the little rock up with the help of his chakra. There was a faint _click_ followed by low rumbling noise coming from the cave. A small cloud of dust shot out and the rumbling noise was replaced with the sound of rock rubbing against rock. The dust cleared to reveal an empty hallway leading to the inside of the great cave.

Kisame looked at the girl, who was standing still in shock, and replied, "Like this." He released the rock and went through the doorway, hearing the footsteps of the girl behind him. The rumbling noise resumed and soon, all light from the outside world was gone, leaving the two to walk in pure darkness. Something grabbed onto the back of his cloak, but the S-ranked criminal didn't need to look behind him to know that it was Dariru.

They kept walking down the dark tunnel for what seemed like hours, but that was the affect the darkness had on people. It wasn't until he began to wonder how much longer it would take did Kisame see a dull light at the end. There weren't a lot of lights installed in the base, mostly so everyone could avoid hearing Kakuzu's constant bickering about how high the energy bill was, but it was enough to see where one was going. He led her to a large empty room with nothing but the natural stone formations as decoration. The room was mainly used for training and, on occasion, meetings. At the opposite end of the room were three hallways. The hall on the fair left led to the kitchen, the one in the middle led to Leader-sama and Konan's rooms, and the third led to everyone else's rooms. Kisame went down the middle hallway with Dariru on his heels.

The end of the hall split off to the right and to the left, in this case, the blue-man went left. A stained oak door was at the end of the rock hallway; the door which blocked the leader's room from the rest of the organization. Kisame didn't know who was more nervous; himself or the girl. He stopped in front of the red and brown door and looked at Dariru one last time.

"You sure you want to do this?" He asked her, hoping she would realize what she was about to do and turn back.

Instead, the girl straightened her back and squared her shoulders. She gave him a slow, determined nod, "Positive."

A small sigh came out of him, "Alright," he mumbled before knocking on Pein's door.

The only reply was a loud, "Enter!"

Kisame twisted the doorknob and said to his companion, "Wait out here." He opened the door and stepped into the leader's room.

The room was slightly more extravagant than everyone else's; Konan's was the most extravagant since she was a woman and had many silly needs. Since putting carpet over stone was a ridiculous idea, there were rugs, all the same color and texture, laid out on the ground. There was a dresser to the left, a king-sized bed on the right with heavy blankets (since the cave was cold most of the time), and in the middle of the room was a wooden desk with small stacks of paper on either side. Sitting behind the desk was an orange-haired man with piercings all over his face. The man was Pein, the most feared man in the Akatsuki.

Pein looked up at Kisame with grey eyes before looking back down at the paper he had been scribbling on. "So you've finally come back?"

Kisame nodded out of respect, "Yes sir."

"And...you've brought someone with you," the man grumbled before setting the pen down and sitting up straight in his chair to look at the large blue man in the eyes.

Shame and embarrassment seemed to take over him, "Yes…sir."

A heavy sigh came from Pein as he rubbed his brow, a finger tapping on one of the silver piercings that was in his eyebrow. "Bring her in."

He obeyed the leader's command and opened the door to let Dariru in, not questioning how the man knew Dariru was a girl without even meeting. She walked in cautiously, her brown and green eyes wide and alert, and stopped in the space halfway between the door and the desk. Pein stared at her with narrowed eyes.

The first thing he said about her was, "You're not a kunoichi."

"Y-yes I am, sir." Dariru argued with a calm and quiet tone, as if afraid to even speak.

The orange-haired man glared at her, "Then where's you're headband?"

"She didn't want it so I—" Kisame started.

"Quiet, Kisame!" Pein snapped, "I was asking _her_."

The blue-man silenced himself and stood perfectly still.

Dariru took a deep, shaky breath, "Kisame threw it away for me, sir."

"And why," the man behind the desk inquired suspiciously, "would you not want your headband?"

"Because, I don't want to wear the symbol of the village that wants me dead, sir." Was her reply.

Pein leaned back in his chair and studied the girl. Kisame saw how tense her whole body was, and noticed her arms shaking from either fear or nervousness. The poor girl seemed like she was going to burst into a nervous breakdown.

"Can you fight?" the leader questioned.

"Yes sir."

"How well?"

"I killed an oinin, sir." She blurted.

Most people wouldn't be able to see Pein's hidden grin; but Kisame could see it. It was written all over the man's steel-grey eyes. "Hm…" the man began to fiddle with one of his nose piercings in thought. "You can't be a member, you're chakra level is too low. But, you can still be of use."

A flicker of hope rose inside of both Kisame and Dariru at the man's words.

"You'll have to guard the base when more than six members are out on missions. And make sure Tobi doesn't get into trouble. Everyone in this base is superior to you, so if they tell you to do something, you'd better do it."

Dariru bowed in respect and as a sign of her thanks, "Thank you very much, sir."

Pein grunted in reply. "Oh, and before either of you leave…about you're accommodations…" the man looked at Kisame for a split second before returning his attention to the girl, "you'll sleep in Kisame's room until I say otherwise."

The girl crossed her arms and looked at her boots as a blush came over her face. Kisame's cheeks began to heat up at the leader's orders. He couldn't let her sleep in his room! _Especially_ since he kept dreaming about her either doing things to him or letting him do things to her. "B-but sir!" the blue-man protested and came up with an excuse, "She's…she's not a whore!" it was a lame excuse, but it was still an excuse.

Pein gave him a stern look and replied, "I know that! A whore wouldn't blush at the thought of sharing a room with another man." He pointed a finger at Dariru and then at Kisame, "I'm doing more than just a favor for _both_ of you! I'm letting her _live_, _and_ I'm probably saving her the trauma of getting raped." Dariru's eyes went wide with fear at the word. "If she sleeps in your room, Kisame, then everyone will think she belongs to you and will deem her 'off limits'. Though, I can't guarantee that they'll be on their best behavior when they're around her."

"Well, that's great an' all," Kisame said, "but how is that doing _me_ a favor, sir?"

"Oh please," Pein snickered, picking the pen back up and returning to his work, "You wouldn't bring a complete stranger into the base unless you really _liked_ them, Kisame. I'm doing _you_ a favor by letting her live. Now get the hell out of my room."

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So many thoughts were going through Dariru's head all at once: _I have to live in __Kisame's__ room!? Was that guy telling the truth? Does Kisame really __like__ me? Oh god, I hope no one rapes me while I'm here. Who the hell is Tobi, and why does he need to be looked after? Is he a little kid or something like that? Oh God, I hope I won't piss anyone off! Does Kisame really like me? I hope so… _Her cheeks seemed to be on fire, she was blushing so much, and had to act like she was admiring the rock wall so Kisame wouldn't see. _Good lord, Dariru, stop acting like a little schoolgirl who just figured out what a period was! So what if you have to sleep in the same room as him? At least you're not sleeping in the same __bed__. _The thought seemed to have calmed her down for a moment until her mind began to wonder what it would be like to sleep with the blue criminal. He'd definitely be warmer than she was, and it would feel nice to be up against his chest with his arms around her…kissing her…

The blush returned, making the girl bite her finger at the lovely thought. _No! We're not gonna go there! Not now! _Panic began to grip her mind, _Oh man, what if I talk in my sleep!? What if I get one of those wet dreams about him and moan really loud!? Oh god, how embarrassing would that be!? _It wasn't until a figure began to approach them did Dariru snap out of her paranoid thinking.

At first, she thought the person was a girl. They had the basic black and decorated cloak on, a headband on their forehead, and long blonde hair that covered their left eye while some of it was pulled up into a ponytail. It wasn't until the person spoke did she realize that it wasn't a woman…but a _man_.

"Finally back from your mission Kisame-danna?" The blonde man spoke, the blue eye that showed seemed to glisten with mischief.

"Yeah," Kisame nodded, "It's about time you started putting confetti in those birds of yours. I was getting tired of having to dodge shuriken and kunai every time you sent a message." Dariru raised an eyebrow at the blue man's comment. The blonde didn't strike her as the type who could make exploding birds.

The blonde rolled his eyes, "Only because I didn't want to hear Kakuzu bitch at me for spending too much money on weapons, un." It was then that he finally noticed the girl next to the large blue man. "What's with the striped parasite, yeah?" he snorted.

The girl wanted to say something about how the man looked like a female model, but Kisame spoke before she could.

"Well, the 'striped parasite' is going to guard the base when most of us are gone," a disbelieving snort came from the blue-eyed man, "And Pein told her to make sure _Tobi _doesn't get into trouble." The blue criminal added.

The first expression that came to the man's face was shock, then suspicion, then hope, and finally, happiness. He looked at Dariru with a big smile on his face, and without warning, pulled her into a tight hug. The wind seemed to push out of her as he kept giving her the bone-crushing embrace; he even lifted her feet off the ground and started to spin in circles. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!" the blonde kept squealing out, still keeping her in the tight hug. Neither of the two noticed the death-glare Kisame was giving the man.

Dariru was at a loss for words. Here she was, in base full of dangerous criminals, and the first thing one of them does is _hug_ her. He finally put her down and released her from the hug but kept his hands on her shoulders. "You are a life saver!" Another hug, but this one was much shorter than the first, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" The blonde man ran down the hall and hollered, "HE'S NOT MY PROBLEM ANYMORE! WOO-HOO! UN!"

The first words that came out of Dariru's mouth were, "What the fuck was that about?"

"Deidara doesn't like Tobi," Kisame explained, "but Tobi keeps hanging around him, not matter how many times he tells him to go away." He resumed the walk down the hall and into the large empty room, "Though, I've never seen Deidara act that hyper…" Dariru followed him into the bare rock room, though they weren't the only ones there. A short, large man in the Akatsuki cloak was shuffling slowly over to one end of the room. A long, metal, scorpion-like tail came out from beneath the cloak and hovered above the man's head as if ready to strike at any moment.

Dariru tapped Kisame's arm to get his attention, her eyes never leaving the strange new person. "Who is that?" she motioned towards him.

"That's Sasori," Kisame informed her, "he and Deidara must have returned from a mission if he's still in that weird puppet."

She did a double-take, "That's a _puppet_?"

He nodded, "His specialty is making people into puppets."

A lump formed in her throat, which she had to gulp back down. The man turned people into puppets? That was high on her list of "morbid and creepifying". The puppet's entire back opened up to let a young, red-haired man step out of it. The man, whom she assumed was Sasori, looked at them once before sitting next to the puppet to begin his work. The look he gave them had been cold and expressionless, as if he weren't even human. Shivers of discomfort went through her as she continued to follow Kisame down the hallway to their left.

There were doors of different varieties on either side of the hallway, making the girl assume they were in the living area of the base. One door that they passed looked singed and slightly dented. Another was nicely polished and well-kept. There was even one with a red, upside-down triangle in a circle drawn on it with the words "FUCK OFF MOTHER FUCKER" written above and beneath it. It made Dariru giggle on the inside. They finally stopped in front of a cheap brown door with a worn out doorknob. Kisame knocked on it loudly.

"WHAT?" A frustrated voice boomed from the other side.

"I need stitches Kakuzu," Kisame hollered.

"Only if you give me three-hundred yen," the voice, now labeled Kakuzu, replied.

"Three hundred—Why do I have to pay you _three hundred yen_ just to get my back stitched up!?" The blue man bared his teeth at the cheap door.

The door swung open and a man with stitches on either side of his face held a piece of paper in front of Kisame's face. "Water bill came in. Your showering not only takes up a lot of time, but a lot of water too. So either pay up, or find someone else to stitch you up." Kisame grumbled as he began to search through his pockets for money. He pulled out a handful of cash and gave it to Kakuzu. The man's green and red eyes glistened happily as he counted the amount he was given before nodding the blue man. "Alright, come in." Kisame entered the room, and just as Dariru was going to follow, the man held up a hand, which also had numerous stitches in it. "I don't know you," he seemed to snarl, "You get to wait outside." And he closed the door in her face.

* * *

Kisame placed Samehada against a wall and began to take off his cloak and shirt. "That was a little rude, don't you think?" he commented on the tan man's behavior toward Dariru.

Kakuzu placed the money in a drawer before replying, "Unless you want to pay another three hundred yen to let her in, I suggest you be quiet. Besides," Kisame could feel a kunai cut through the bandaging the girl had done last night, "I work better without someone hovering over my shoulder." Chakra-infused threads began to dig into the flesh near the open wound. The chakra numbed down the pain, but it still made the blue man uncomfortable. "So why didn't Pein-sama kill her the moment she set foot in his office?" The green-eyed man always referred to everyone's room as an "office"; thinking that they always did some form of work behind closed doors.

"I guess we caught him in a good mood," Kisame admitted.

"Hm," Kakuzu grunted, "Will she be doing work?"

"Yeah. Pein told her to watch over Tobi and to guard the place when most of us are out."

"If any of the bills go up because of her, I just might kill her myself," the man grumbled. Kisame's muscles tensed up at the comment, making Kakuzu pause for a split second, "That got your temper to flare a bit."

The blue man didn't say anything.

"Hmph," he grunted, "If she stays out of my way then I won't bother with her."

The promise seemed to make Kisame relax a little, but he still made a mental note to keep an eye on Kakuzu. The green-eyed man loved money but hated to lose it. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that Kakuzu would kill just to make a few extra bucks.

The two were silent for a long time, until the silence was broken by a loud banging on the door followed by an all too familiar voice yelling, "HEY FUCK-FACE! I NEED YOU TO SEW MY DAMNED HAND BACK ON!"

* * *

The silver-haired man kept pounding relentlessly on the poor door with his foot. Dariru was sure he would have used his hand if only his right hand wasn't holding his detached left hand. Blood dripped onto the rock floor from the stump where his left hand should have been. The man seemed so calm that his hand was detached from his body, unless of course pounding on someone's door was his way of panicking. His Akatsuki cloak was unbuttoned to reveal his boney chest, which was littered with cuts oozing out puss and blood. Good lord, what had he been doing to receive such wounds?

He kept kicking at the door and hollered again, "OPEN THE FUCK UP KAKUZU! I KNOW YOU CAN FUCKING HEAR ME DICK MUNCHER! SERIOUSLY!" Dariru had to restrain herself from laughing at the man's vulgar language. She'd never heard someone curse so often before in her life! Did he always do that?

The door opened and a wrapped-up Samehada smacked the silver-haired man on the side of his face. The blow forced the man to the ground and he stayed there, stunned that Kisame had hit him. The tall blue man walked out of the room, with his shirt and cloak back on and cackled at the man's stupefied state.

"Kakuzu told me to do it," Kisame admitted before turning to the shocked Dariru, "C'mon. I need to introduce you Tobi." The girl stood up and followed him down the hall.

"WHAT THE FUCK KAKUZU!?" She heard the silver-haired man holler. This time, she let a small laugh escape her.

"What's his problem?" she asked Kisame through her short bursts of laughter.

"That was Hidan. He's got a thing for cuss words."

"Uh-huh…why was he so calm when he was missing a hand?"

"He likes it whenever he looses a body part. I'm sure I wouldn't mind either if I were immortal."

She paused in her steps, wondering if her hearing had gone bad. "Did you say..._immortal_?"

"Yeah," Kisame said, looking over his shoulder at her, "Hidan's immortal."

The only word she could think of to say was, "Huh…"

It was then that a pale figure with long black hair appeared in the hall. His face was expressionless, but his red eyes held all of the man's emotions. Kisame and Dariru paused in front of him.

"My room, _now_," the pale man mumbled before going through a door on the left.

Kisame groaned in annoyance and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I'll be right back," he grumbled before going through the same door, "Just wait outside."

Dariru sat against the rock wall next to the door, making sure she wouldn't be in the way should it open, and waited.

* * *

Itachi had his arms crossed and was sitting on his bed, looking furiously at the larger blue man before him. Kisame stood awkwardly, knowing exactly what his partner was about to chew him out for. There was a mixture of an angry and awkward silence before the Uchiha spoke, "Just because I told you not to use violence on her, didn't mean you could bring her to the _base_!" Before Kisame could get a word in, Itachi stood up and walked up to him, fury written all over his eyes, "What in the _hell_ were you thinking!? I thought you hated her! Or did I get the wrong impression when you were trying to slice her open with Samehada?"

"Geez Itachi," Kisame snapped, surprised at his partner's attitude. Even if the Uchiha were angry, he never complained this much. "You're starting to bitch like Kakuzu! What, did your little brother not let you fuck him when you dropped your mission on me?" Itachi's eye twitched for a split second and the larger man knew his accusation was right. No wonder his partner was in such a bad mood. "Look," Kisame started, acting more calm and collected, "I know it seems like a mistake, but Pein-sama didn't decide to kill her. And if she turns out to be a burden then," he had to muster up the courage to say those dangerous words once again, "then I'll kill her."

The pale man sat down on his bed, scratching the back of his head quickly. "I assumed you were going to do that before you came to the base."

"Me too," the blue criminal admitted.

Again, there was silence until the taller of the two asked, "I should go, shouldn't I?"

"Hn." was all Itachi said. It was his way of saying "Yes" at the moment.

Kisame turned and left the room only to find Tobi hiding behind Dariru in the middle of the hall with his hands clamped on her shoulders and occasionally moving her so she was always facing the enraged Deidara.

"Tobi you little shit!" The blonde man hollered, stopping for a split second only the rub his palms against his hips hurriedly. "Stop hiding behind the new guy and let me beat you, un!"

"B-bu-but senpai!" Tobi stuttered in pure terror, still using the stupefied Dariru as a human-shield, "Tobi didn't mean to make senpai angry! Tobi just wanted to help…"

"By replacing the confetti with _itching powder, yeah!? _And then not even telling me, un!?" It was then that Deidara lunged at Tobi, who made sure Dariru was in the way of the furious blonde. He reached around her and tried to grab Tobi, but the orange-masked man just kept pushing the brown-haired girl closer to Deidara. The look of embarrassment and exasperation was written all over Dariru's face, and of course, Kisame wasn't too happy that Deidara was physically close to her.

The blue man grabbed the blonde by the shoulder and pulled him away. "Deidara," he started, keeping a firm grip on the struggling man, "I'm sure Tobi deserves whatever it is you plan to do him. However, I highly doubt Dariru deserves being put in the middle of this."

"Oh, so that's what his name is!" Tobi chirped happily, "Hi Dariru-kun! I'm Tobi! Tobi is a good boy and is glad to—"

It was then that big blue man grabbed the girl by the waist. Not only did he pull her out of the masked man's grip, but he also picked her up and put her on his shoulder as if she were a sack of potatoes. Neither Deidara nor Tobi noticed the high pitched squeak of surprise that came from her, for the blonde was too busy chasing down the black-haired nuisance who was too busy trying to not get caught.

Kisame placed the girl on her feet gently, keeping his hand on the small of her back as she let her hands rest on his chest. It felt nice to have her so close to him again; if only he could get her to move closer to him…that would very nice. And if he could just get her look at him, then he could lean down and kiss her…

Immediately, he bit the inside of his cheek and reluctantly released the hold he had on her. It was obvious to him now that he wanted her, but he knew she wouldn't want him. Even if she wasn't afraid of him, he wasn't the most appealing thing to the eyes. His skin was horribly discolored and he looked like the monsters that inhabited the ocean. Why she was even allowing him to be this close to her was beyond him. And there were plenty of other more handsome men in the Akatsuki; she was bound to fall for one of them eventually, and he wouldn't hold anything against her. It would only be natural for her to pick someone who was good-looking.

"So…" Dariru started, "the guy in the orange mask was…Tobi?"

"Yeah," he mumbled.

"God damn it…" It didn't take a genius to know she was not happy that she had to make sure the masked ball of energy didn't get into trouble.


	13. Sleeping Arrangements

Chapter Thirteen: Sleeping Arrangements.

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**Author's Notes:**** I'm so glad so many of you liked the previous chapter :D. I was so afraid 'cause I really rushed on it ;_;. But, this chapter I've been really thinking about, and there's ****one**** spot that may seem a little OOC, but I think it's funny anyway XD. So, please enjoy the thirteenth chapter!**

**Oh! And thank you very VERY much for all the reviews, favorites, views, and alerts! I'm so glad so many of you like this story! :D **

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The boy in orange mask sniffled pathetically at the delicate bump he had received on his head after Deidara had caught him and, literally, smashed his head against the rock wall of the base. Dariru was getting a bag full of ice ready for the boy to help ease the pain. They were the only ones in the fairly large kitchen; at least, it would have seemed large if not for the long table that was in the middle of the room. Tobi had decided to completely ignore all the chairs and had taken a seat on the countertop, continuing to sniffle on occasion. The brown-haired girl closed the freezer door, a plastic bag full of ice in one hand, and grabbed a small towel to wrap the bag in.

"Put this on the bump," she told him like a mother tells a child who had just gotten hurt. To Dariru, the masked Akatsuki member acted like a child, and that was what she would refer to him as: a boy.

Tobi made an exclamation of pain and removed the ice bag from his head. "How's it supposed to help Tobi if it hurts, Dariru-kun?"

"Don't press it on the bump so hard, first of all," she took the bag from his hand and barely placed the bag on the bump, demonstrating to him how he should do it. He didn't make any pained noises. "Does it hurt now?"

"Not really. Now it's just too cold."

She shrugged, "You'll get used to it. Now you hold onto it." The masked boy did as he was told and sat still for a moment as he held the wrapped bag against the bump.

"Hey!" he seemed excited, "It doesn't hurt Tobi anymore!"

"Good," she sat down in one of the chairs and looked at the cabinet above Tobi's head. The moment Deidara had finished punishing Tobi, Kisame had told her to watch the boy and left the two behind. At first she was alright with being alone with the hyper kid, especially since the blue man needed some time alone after having to travel with her for so long. Then the boy started to complain about the bump on his head and wouldn't stop talking about how Deidara was mean to him even though he was just trying to help the blonde man. It made her wish that her blue companion had stayed a little longer, or had at least kept his hand on the small of her back.

Oh, she had noticed that. And she had known that her hands had been on his chest. It had felt so nice to have been that close to him again. She could feel his muscles beneath the cloak and shirt, and had to resist the urge to rest her head on him and feel the warmth that emitted from him. Hell, she wouldn't have mind if he had kissed her right then and there. But she knew he couldn't do that; he was an S-ranked criminal. It was probably bad enough for him that they were friends of sorts.

A cold, wet piece of ice landed on the back of Dariru's neck, making the girl take in a sharp breath as shivers crawled up her spine. She grabbed the ice cube and looked at Tobi accusingly, "What was that for?"

He began to the close the plastic bag as he spoke, "Tobi's been trying to get Dariru-kun's attention for a while. But Dariru-kun wouldn't answer."

"Oh. Sorry Tobi. I must've zoned out." She had to stop thinking about him like that; she just had to. They were friends, and that's probably all they would ever be. Just friends.

"Hey, hey! Dariru-kun!" The boy chirped, jumping off the countertop and walking up to her. "Can we play a game?"

"Um…sure. What kind of game?"

The orange mask hid his face, but the girl was quite certain that he was grinning from ear-to-ear, "Hide and Seek!" A quiet grumble found its way out of her mouth. It was such a childish game to play. But if it would keep the boy out of trouble then…

"Okay," she sighed.

Tobi threw his arms in the air and hollered, "Yay!" Cold water dripped from the towel that covered the bag and onto the floor.

Dariru held up one finger and added, "But you're not allowed to hide in any of the rooms that are in the living hall! Got it?"

Immediately his shoulders sagged in disappointment, "Aw…but that's where all the good hiding spots are…"

"It's also where you're teammates go to be left alone. Now go hide somewhere, and don't get into trouble." She closed her eyes and heard the boy run out of the kitchen hurriedly. Time to count…

_One, one thousand…two, one thousand…three, one thousand…four, one thousand…_

She counted to herself, not wanting any of the mature members to realize what childish game she was playing. It wasn't until she got to ten that girl opened her eyes and grumbled, "Ready or not…here I come." The moment she stepped out of the kitchen, she saw someone go down the hallway that led to the rooms of the members. Immediately she ran towards the hall, yelling, "Tobi! I said that hallway was off limits! Get back here!" The smell of rotting flesh engulfed the air and Dariru's senses when she reached the mouth of the hall. The figure that she had caught up to was facing her, as if expecting her arrival.

The stench just got stronger when the figure spoke in a kind voice, "You were right. There is an intruder here." It was nauseating. That putrid smell of dead bodies made Dariru dizzy to the point where she couldn't stand. She fell on her rump as another, darker, voice spoke, "**She looks weak. Let's eat her.**"

The girl had heard what he said, but made no move to get away or even try to explain why she was in the base. The fear of vomiting kept her still as the large figure stepped into sight. The man had an over-sized cloak, which hid most of the venus fly-trap that grew out of it. Half of his face was white and the other was black; both sides sported yellow eyes that seemed to glow in the dim lighting. The green hair that was on his head seemed out of place, but the most significant thing about him was his scent. It was this man who smelled like dead bodies. She could stand the smell of blood, but rotting flesh was a different story.

Then, the happy voice of Tobi chimed out, "Zetsu-san! You're back from the mission!"

Zetsu looked at Tobi as the boy bounded toward them. "Hello Tobi," the man said kindly before growling out, "**Go away. We're about to eat.**"

"Eat who?"

The two-colored man pointed at the dizzy Dariru, "**Her.**"

A gasp came out of the boy as he crouched down next to her. "You can't eat Dariru-kun! He's one of us now!"

"One of us?" the man echoed, puzzled by the boy's comment.

"Well…Dariru-kun's not an Akatsuki member yet but…Pein-sama said he could live here and be my friend!" Though Dariru was not too excited to be Tobi's friend, judging from what had happened with Deidara just recently, but she was thankful that he was stopping this green-haired man from his dangerous intentions.

The man stood still for a minute, trying to translate the boy's happy description into a more mature one. A disappointed grumble emitted from him followed by the kinder voice saying, "If Pein-sama has kept her alive then we'll leave her alone." He turned on heels and proceeded down the hall, taking the putrid smell with him. It took a while for the girl to regain her composure before chancing to speak.

"Tobi?" she could feel her stomach churn slightly.

"Hm?"

She held out her hand and grumbled, "Give me the bag."

He pulled the now damp towel and bag out of his pocket and gave it to her without saying a word. She un-wrapped the towel and opened the bag, pulling a handful of melting ice cubes out. The cold water felt refreshing against her forehead as she pressed them onto her skin. For a few minutes she sat there, letting the water run down the sides of her head, before popping what remained of the cubes into her mouth. She swallowed the cold liquid once each cube had completely melted. If this was how it would be every time she bumped into that man—Zetsu, she believed his name was--then she would just have to avoid him. It couldn't be that hard to know he was nearby with a scent like that.

"Is Dariru-kun feeling better?" Tobi asked with legitimate concern.

"Yeah," she breathed, "yeah, I'm okay now Tobi. Thank you." With steady legs, the girl stood up and began to walk back to the kitchen, the masked boy walking in-step next to her. The whole room was spinning slowly by the time they reached the kitchen. Dariru sat down on a chair while Tobi perched himself on the countertop again. The dead body smell still lingered in her nose, but at least the room had stopped spinning.

"Tobi, get the hell off of the counter!" the voice of the silver-haired man scolded, "I don't want to know that your ass was on there every time I wanna make a sandwich!" The masked boy jumped off the counter immediately and sat across from the dizzy girl. She didn't really pay either of them any attention until the immortal man spoke to her. "Who the hell are you?"

"Dariru," she answered.

"You believe in Jashin?" was his next question.

It caught her off guard, "Who's that?"

As if she had pushed a button, Hidan made a disgusted noise and hollered, "Well that fucking figures! I get to be put in an organization full of cock-sucking atheists. Oh well," he opened the refrigerator and pulled out a liter of orange-juice, "at least I won't burn in Hell." He twisted the cap off and began to chug down mouthfuls of liquid.

"But Hidan-san," Tobi started, "if you like pain, then wouldn't you like Hell?" Dariru could tell the question was an innocent one, but apparently Hidan didn't take it that way.

The man stopped drinking the juice and snapped, "Shut the fuck up Tobi! You don't know what Hell's like anyway!"

"Oh, do you know what it's like Hidan-san?"

The boy in the orange mask ducked just in time to avoid the half-full bottle that was thrown at him by the enraged man. The man shouted at Tobi for being a "smart ass" and stomped out of the kitchen, leaving the orange sticky mess behind for Dariru and Tobi to clean up.

* * *

Embarrass: Cause to feel self-conscious or ill at ease; disconcert. Or even to complicate.

That was what Kisame was feeling as he stood in the middle of his room. He wasn't embarrassed at the fact that there were a few dirty clothes lying around with blood-stained rags, which he used to clean Samehada. He wasn't embarrassed by the fact that it had a musty smell mixed in with dried blood. No, it was the fact that he had no spare blankets or even a futon to let Dariru sleep on that made the S-ranked criminal's cheeks hot. There was just the cold stone floor and his bed, which only had one blanket on it, and he wasn't going to let her sleep on the floor. He had gone to Pein to ask if there was a spare futon lying around any where. The leader had told him that there weren't any spares, but Kisame knew better than to believe that. The orange-haired man was just being cruel.

Now the man had to think about what to do. He could always stay up while she slept, but he couldn't do that every night. Plus, he really wanted to sleep in his own bed tonight; it had been too long since he had a proper night's sleep. They could both sleep in it; it was big enough for the both of them to fit in, but that would just be awkward. But there was no other alternative. He had no chair in his room, since he always used his bed to sit on, and if he slept in the bathtub he would never hear the end of it if someone else found out.

Kisame grumbled and took his headband off to rub his forehead. He would love to make the girl sleep in Tobi's room, since he was probably the only one who had no idea what puberty was, but Pein had been right. If she slept in his room, the others were more likely to leave her alone. If she slept in Tobi's room, then they would mess with her. He just hoped he didn't have another one of _those_ dreams again. Hell, the subject itself was starting to make him tired already. He placed Samehada against the wall and tossed his cloak to the side once it had been unbuttoned.

A knock came from the door, which he took his time in opening. Standing there, with a slightly pale face, was Dariru. He cleared his throat and mumbled, "Is uh…something wrong?"

She shook her head, "No…but that guy with the stitches—his name is Kakuzu right?--locked Tobi in his room and told me to get to wherever it was I was sleeping."

"Um…okay. Come in," he moved out of the way and she stepped in slowly into as if unsure of what to do. He wasn't too sure what to do either…but right now he just wanted to sleep. "Well, uh…you tired?"

She looked at him nodded, looking a little sick, "Yeah, a little."

"Alright," he turned his back to her and said, "Go ahead and get yourself ready."

There was silence before she asked, "Um…where exactly am I sleeping?"

"M-my bed," God damn it, why did he have to sound so weird when he said it?

"Okay…" there was a hint of suspicion in her tone, "but…where are you gonna sleep?"

Again there was silence before he spoke, "Same place as you."

He didn't need to look at her to know she was blushing, "Oh! Um…a-are you sure? I mean, I won't mind sleeping on the floor!"

"I have no spare blankets. Or a futon."

"Oh, um…well…uh…" she let out an awkward laugh, "I'm sorry..."

He turned and said, "What are you _apologizing_ for?"

She seemed taken aback from his sudden burst and answered uncertainly, "For uh…being a bother and—"

The man didn't wait for her to finish her sentence before pointing to the blanket-covered mattress. "Get in."

"But—"

"_Now_."

Without hesitation the girl climbed into his bed and lay on her side, facing the rock wall that the bed was up against. Kisame grabbed the blanket and covered her before placing a fist on her head, "I told you before to not apologize for things that aren't your fault."

"I know…" she sounded guilty at his accusation.

He smiled at her, but made sure she wasn't looking when he did so. "I'll wait for you to fall asleep before I get in, okay?"

"'Kay." When the man stood up to walk away, planning on wandering about the base for a while, he heard the strangest words come out of her mouth. "Good night."

No one had ever said that to him before…of course, no one has ever told him that they weren't afraid of his appearance either, besides her. He was at a loss for words at what to do, but he just mumbled back, "'Night," and left the room.

* * *

Morning came, and while most of the Akatsuki members were awake and moving, there were still two others who were still asleep. Kisame was lying on his back, sleeping soundly in his own bed. This was the first time he had ever felt so comfortable in his bed…perhaps it was because he had been traveling for so long? There was a loud knock at his door, making the man groan in annoyance. He didn't want to get up; he was too comfortable. The knocker started talking, probably telling him to hurry up and get up, but he couldn't tell who it was that was talking. The blue man had woken up at one point in the night to take his shirt off, and now felt a little pressure against his bare chest. It wasn't an uncomfortable pressure, but it was still noticeable. It was also at this point that the man realized he had his arms wrapped possessively around something. He opened his eyes in tired confusion as the object moved slightly. By the time he had seen what was going on, his door opened and heard Deidara make a disgusted noise.

"Holy shit, yeah!" the blonde said, turning away and covering his eyes. "Jesus Kisame! I thought you said you were straight, un!?" What Deidara had seen was quite interesting to some:

There was Kisame, sleeping shirtless with Dariru using his chest as a pillow. She even had one of her arms clinging on his shoulder. And with the way the blanket was positioned, it looked like she may have been shirtless.

But Deidara didn't know that she was still wearing all of her clothes.

Kisame sat up straight, with a half-asleep Dariru still holding onto him, and growled, "I _am_ straight."

The blonde smirked disbelievingly, "Yeah, that's why the new guy is in your bed, un! And probably naked! Pervert, yeah."

The blue man rolled his eyes and yanked the blanket off of Dariru to prove the intruder wrong. The girl groaned loudly in complaint at the sudden rush of cold air and opened her eyes. Once she saw what position she was in, she hurriedly let go of the man and hugged her knees to her chest, trying to hide the blush that took over her face. Though, Kisame had wished she had kept holding onto him. She had felt so wonderful against him…

Deidara cocked his head to the side and pointed at Dariru, "Oi, newbie!"

She looked up at him, "Y-yeah?"

"Be careful," he whispered loud enough for Kisame to hear, "I think the shark's got a thing for _roosters_."

A small giggle came from the girl at the man's accusation. Kisame just bared his teeth, grabbed a shoe that was on the floor, and threw it at his head. "_I'm not gay!_" Deidara dodged the shoe and ran out of the room with a big grin on his face. Dariru was still laughing at what the blonde had said; making the blue man grab her shoulders and shake her, "Don't laugh! You'll just encourage him!"

"I-I'm sorry," she giggled, "but, so far, this is one of the best mornings I've ever had!" A small blush coated Kisame's cheeks. He wondered if her morning included waking up on him…

"Yeah well," he got out of bed, the cold ground making him more alert, "I'm gonna take a shower now. You should go get something to eat."

* * *

Deidara downed his cup of coffee fairly quickly. He had another mission to do later on with Sasori and got more energy from the dark brown liquid when he chugged it. There were three other people in the kitchen with him. Itachi was sitting at the table, sipping at his cup of coffee slowly and silently while Kakuzu sat across from him, reading a newspaper he had somehow acquired. Hidan was leaning against a counter while eating a bowl of cereal loudly with just his boxers on. The sight reminded Deidara of what he saw in Kisame's room. It made him laugh on the inside at how embarrassed the blue man and new kid looked when they realized what was going on. And when Kisame had stated that he was straight, the blonde believed him; he just loved giving the blue man grief and would continue to do so.

"Hidan," Kakuzu grumbled from behind his newspaper, "if you won't put a shirt on, then at least put some pants on. I'm getting tired of looking at your hairy legs."

"My ass!" Hidan scowled through a mouthful of cereal, "You can't even see the hair on my legs!"

"I beg to differ."

"You're just jealous of my body Kakuzu and you know it."

"Yeah, 'cause you know," Deidara cut into their conversation sarcastically, "everybody wants your _old_ body, un. God knows how long that thing has been rotting on this planet, yeah."

Hidan glared at the blonde and snarled, "Shut the fuck up douche bag! At least I don't look like a woman who gives blowjobs for a quarter behind dumpsters!"

The one thing that Deidara couldn't stand, other than Tobi, was when someone called him a girl. He was no woman! In fact, he was the farthest thing from a woman! The blonde placed his coffee mug on the counter and faced the silver-haired man. "Care to run that by me again, yeah, _old man_?"

The immortal's lip twitched as he slammed his bowl down and squared his shoulders, "I said that you're a—" A cloak, which was thrown by Kakuzu, landed on Hidan's head. The man yanked it off and bared his teeth at his partner, who was now in just a t-shirt and pants.

"What the hell man!? Why'd you do that?"

"Just put it on before the new kid's eyes burn from the sight of your hairy legs." The larger man ordered.

Deidara looked up and saw that the new kid was, indeed, in the kitchen now. He seemed to be moving about nervously as if unsure what to do. It was quite funny really; his movements even gave him a girly look to him. Though he seemed to be doing his best to not look at Hidan…

"And why the fuck should I?" Hidan tossed the cloak onto the table and grinned evilly at the new kid, "Where're all men here. So why should it matter?"

"You're so slow Hidan that it's embarrassing," Itachi grumbled as he took another sip of his coffee.

"What the hell are you talking about? I'm not slow!"

Kakuzu sighed and said, "Not all of us are men here, Hidan. Now put the cloak on."

Deidara blinked multiple times at Kakuzu. The new kid was…a _girl!?_ Kisame, the big blue weirdo, was able to get a _girl_ to sleep in the same _bed_ as _him_!? He looked at the girl in the striped tank top and began to notice the little feminine things about her. There were two lumps on her chest, they were small and barely noticeable, but they were there. Her hips did sway a little bit in a girlie way, but she seemed to be fighting against the natural movement. And her covered legs were small like a woman's legs should be. However, if Kisame had allowed her to be in the same room as him then he must feel somewhat attached to her. Deidara made a mental note to give the blue man more grief about it later on and to leave the girl alone. If Kisame _did_ like her, then it would be dangerous for him to try to do anything to her.

Apparently, Hidan still didn't get it.

"Aw, how sweet of you to help Deidara come out of his tranny closet Kakuzu," Hidan gave both men a fake smile. Kakuzu rolled his eyes and grumbled while Deidara's face met with his palm. The man really was slow…

It was then that the blonde saw a fully clothed Kisame walk into the kitchen, his hair wet from the shower he had taken, and stop at the sight of Hidan. The large blue man pointed at the cloak on the table, keeping his eyes on the silver-haired man, and ordered, "Put the cloak on Hidan."

"Oh, you too huh?" Hidan scoffed in disbelief, "What the fuck is up with you guys? Konan's not here, so what's the fucking deal?"

It was then that the new kid placed her hand on Kisame's arm and said quietly, "I'm uh…gonna go take that shower now." And she left the kitchen without another word.

Hidan laughed and pointed at where the girl had once been before saying, "The new kid sounds more like a girl than you do Deidara." He laughed a little more, receiving silence as a response. It wasn't until the laugh turned awkward that the man became silent and looked at everyone in the kitchen. He licked his lips and looked at his toes, "The new kid's a chick isn't she?"

"Yes." Itachi answered.

"Mother fucker…"

* * *

Dariru made sure to make her shower quick. She didn't want to use too much water and she wanted to get back into her clothes quickly in case someone decided to barge into the room again. This morning had definitely been a surprise to her. Waking up on Kisame had actually felt nice; he had been so warm against her and she had felt the muscles, which had been developed through years of relentless training, tense up. It would have been if they could have stayed like that for just a little longer without Deidara waking them up. In fact, now that she really thought about it, she didn't have a nightmare that night; not a single one. The memory made her blush happily; she really did feel safe around the blue man. A smile began to spread across her face as she began to put on her fingerless gloves. The smile turned into a giggle as she remembered what had occurred in the kitchen. Yes, she had been shy to see Hidan in just his boxers, but it had been funny to hear him and Deidara fight. But thankfully, Kakuzu knew that she wasn't a boy and tried to make him cover up. Though, she had been quite surprised at how the silver-haired man was built. He seemed a little boney, but his arms were quite well-built. What sort of weapon did he wield to make his arms that developed?

When she opened the door to meet back with Kisame in kitchen, she came face-to-face with an orange mask. A loud asp came from the girl as she stepped back before realizing it was only Tobi. "My god Tobi," she breathed, "you almost gave me a heart attack!"

"Sorry Dariru-kun," The boy mumbled tiredly, "Tobi's hungry."

"Oh…okay…" The girl began to wonder if this was what Deidara had to go through every morning, "do you want me to go with you to the kitchen?" The short-haired boy just nodded and took a step back to let her through. "Okay," she said as she began to lead him to the kitchen.

* * *

When Dariru had left the kitchen, the first thing Kisame did was get a cup of coffee and sit next to Itachi. He didn't really need it now, but he just wanted to drink something to keep his mind off of this morning's wake up. It was then that Deidara decided to sit next to the blue man with an air of mischief about him. An inaudible grumble rumbled in Kisame's throat; he should've known better than to expect some peace with the blonde in the room.

"So…Kisame-danna?" He started with a big grin on his face, "How exactly were you able to get a decent-looking chick to sleep in your bed with you, un?"

The blue man cringed as Hidan began to choke on the rest of cereal. This was going to be a long day…

Hidan coughed a few more times before hollering out, "WHAT!?" with Kakuzu next to him, who was rinsing off his plate and cup. The tan man punched his partner in the jaw before he mumbled out, "Shut up, you're too loud." Hidan glared at the man as Deidara continued.

"Yeah. When I went to wake Kisame-danna, the new kid was in his bed, yeah."

An evil grin began to spread across the silver-haired man's face. He went behind Kisame and leaned over his shoulder, "Aw, isn't that sweet?" he said in fake adoration before asking Deidara, "Were they naked?"

It was Kisame's turn to choke on his coffee. He set the cup down and coughed heavily a few times before snapping, "No! We were fully clothed!"

"Oooh," the man lingered, "You're more of a dry humper huh?"

He couldn't take it anymore. The blue man took what was left of his scolding hot coffee and poured it on Hidan's head. The silver-haired man began to scream and curse at the pain before he started to stumble out of the kitchen and to his room. Kisame stood up to get himself another cup of coffee, just in case the silver-haired man decided to come back. But this teasing was expected; it was rare for anyone to bring a girl into the base. The only other times there were females from the outside in the base were brought for either Hidan's crazy rituals, or for sexual release. In which case, the girls would be killed the very next morning or were already dead. Everyone knew that Dariru was here to stay unless Pein said otherwise, but now that most of the organization knows of her sleeping arrangements, the blue man knew the endless teasing would begin.

"What're you gonna eat Dariru-kun?" Tobi's familiar voice filled the now silent kitchen as the orange-masked man and girl walked in.

The girl shrugged and replied, "Not sure. I don't want to touch anything that belongs to someone else…" Her hair was still wet from her shower and looked black. But the Kisame knew the color would lighten up once it was dry. He watched her as Tobi picked out what she was going to eat. Her baffled expression was quite funny to look at, though he had to casually turn his back to everyone to hide the smile that began to spread across his face.

And though he didn't know it, the blue man was unable to hide his expression from Uchiha Itachi.


	14. The Course of Time

Chapter Fourteen: The Course of Time

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**Author's Notes:**** Hey guys! Wow, I wasn't expecting so many reviews for the last chapter O.o; not that I'm complaining or anything, but still XD wow! I really should work on my other story but…I'm too lazy right now :P. Well I'm so glad so many of you liked the last chapter :D I gotta say, I'm really impressed by all the theories you guys have about Itachi! They're very interesting!**

**And as always, thank all of you for the reviews, favorites, views and alerts! :) I really appreciate them all! It's nice to know people are willing to read my crazy thoughts and fantasies XD**

* * *

When you watch someone working, you see them doing their job and not paying you much attention, unless it was their job to interact with you. But how does this person act when they get home? Or when they are among friends? They begin to show their habits, their personality, their weaknesses, and their strengths. And since Dariru was forced to stay in the secret cave of the Akatsuki, she was able to see this open side of these dangerous criminals everyday. And as time went by, she had begun to learn who they are…

Itachi was a strange man. He mostly kept to himself, but was polite to her whenever they had an encounter. She had tried to start a conversation with him one day, but the man wasn't into small talk. After that, the girl just stuck with greeting him and then going about her business. A part of her despised the pale man for his coldness, but he was polite and Kisame trusted him, so Dariru was willing to tolerate the man and not complain. Plus, she did owe the Uchiha her life. It was him who had been able to stop Kisame from killing her those many weeks ago with just a few simple words.

Kakuzu's seriousness rivaled Itachi's; though he was more blunt and talkative than the Uchiha. The stitches that decorated the man's body didn't bother Dariru anymore; she had gotten used to them after the second week of living in the hideout. He had an obsession with money and had even scolded some of the members when they went to throw away food from their plates. The man acted more abusive to Hidan, but then again, so did everyone. One time, Hidan had plopped a spoonful of jam on Deidara's hair and had smeared it in as revenge for something, she wasn't sure what; but as a result, Kakuzu had taken the closest kitchen knife and had sliced most of Hidan's fingers off. Then the stitched man scolded his partner _and_ charged him 700 yen to sew _one_ finger on. Needless to say, Hidan had stormed off and tried to sew his own fingers back on. But the very next day Kakuzu had been really happy and Hidan had been extremely mad.

Dariru didn't see much of Zetsu after their last encounter. However, he hadn't smelled like rotting flesh the other times they had bumped into each other, much to the girl's relief. The second time they had seen each other, the man's "light side" apologized for thinking that she had been…edible...while his "dark side" had merely grumbled in what sounded like disappointment. It had been as if she had talked to two completely different people that day, and had even begun to notice that Zetsu's different sides had a habit of talking to each other…frequently.

It didn't take her long to find out that Tobi's two favorite people were Deidara and Zetsu. Dariru had wondered how Tobi was still alive if he pestered Zetsu as much as he tried to pester Deidara. Keeping the masked boy out of trouble had proven to be a difficult chore. He would find ways to slip away from her sight and into the presence of another Akatsuki member; and either the boy would be told off or he would be punched violently if the person he had found was Deidara. Dariru would scold Tobi, like the little boy he was, and then take him away from the criminal he had decided to bother. And yet, no matter what had happened, the boy never seemed to lack energy. It was hard to try to keep the boy still for five minutes and even harder to try to make him use up all his energy in one burst, for she was sure that _no one_ could keep up with the boy once he unleashed his full hyperness. Everyday she would be exhausted to the point that she would pass out the moment she had laid down on Kisame's bed.

Deidara was still happy that she was keeping Tobi away from him, even if he did get away some times. The blonde had even started to talk to her whenever Tobi had run off somewhere and she couldn't find him. He had been quite interesting to talk to, and as they had talked some more, the girl had begun to see him as a friend…until he had decided to sneak one of his tiny clay animals into the pockets of her shorts and had them go off when she had been getting Tobi another bag of ice for his newest injury. She had stormed up to him and he had stood still. "Watcha gonna do, yeah?" he had mocked, "Punch me, un? Go ahead little girl! Punch me, un!" And she had…_hard_…right in the diaphragm. The blonde had made a pained expression and walked away with a hand rubbing his stomach. After that, the girl always viewed the blonde maniac as the brother she never had.

The blonde's partner, however, was not as mischievous nor was he as talkative. In fact, Dariru was sure that the only words she had exchanged with the puppet were her name and why she was at the base. Other than that, Sasori hadn't spoken to her…nor did she see him again. It made her wonder if the man had been murdered by termites.

Hidan was the type of person who seemed to be in a bad mood everyday. He always had some sort of curse word in his sentences and was usually insulting someone if he was having a conversation with them. But even so, his way of speaking was a good way to get Dariru to laugh. The man was always stabbed or brutally injured by the end of the day by one of the Akatsuki members. And he was always teasing either her or Kisame for sleeping in the same bed with the other. He was doing it so often that even Kisame was starting to get irritated with the man. One day, he had taken it so far that Dariru was tempted to find out if her fingers could rip through his skin and tear out his vocal chords. However, she remained calm and enjoyed the fact that she had seen Deidara sneak a small clay snake into the silver-haired man's pants. Hidan's screams of agony had never sounded so wonderful to her that very night.

Speaking of night…

Dariru had gotten used to sleeping with Kisame. In fact, she was starting to like it. Not only because she didn't have any nightmares whenever she was with him in bed, but because she would be close to him. The blue man was polite to his fellow teammates, and yet he was so bloodthirsty. Every time he had come back from a short mission, something on him was always covered in blood. One day he had come back with his entire face stained with blood. It had taken all of her will power to not go up to him lick the blood off of him…it had looked so hot that she could barely take it. And he was just so good to her now. He has been looking out for her and she had even begun to notice him touching her more. They weren't sexual touches, just small, subtle touches. And whenever he and the others weren't looking, she would smile like a silly little schoolgirl who had seen her crush in gym class.

All-in-all, the weeks were going by quickly and she was beginning to feel more and more attracted to the blue man. And though she had dreaded falling asleep in the past, she was starting to welcome it nowadays.

* * *

As the weeks went by, his need to be with her grew stronger. He enjoyed talking to her when he wasn't on a mission. He enjoyed catching the subtle lust in her eyes when he would come back covered in blood. And he definitely enjoyed waking up with her on him. How he wished he could touch her more than just placing a hand on her shoulder or "accidentally" hold the small of her back. Had he looked normal he would have advanced on her long ago and hope for the best. But he wasn't normal looking, and though she had told him that she wasn't afraid of his appearance, it didn't necessarily mean that she _liked_ it. For all he knew, she despised it, and if he made a sudden move on her now, she would most likely scream at him. So, he had to stick with doing the little things; and so far she didn't seem to mind them.

In fact, he _knew_ it was working. One morning he had woken up with Dariru's head and hand resting on his chest. She had looked so peaceful laying there in a silent sleep. He had even brushed a lock of her short brown hair off of her face so he could look at her better and found himself brushing his knuckles gently on her cheek. It was so warm and smooth...then she had started to shift, and just as he pulled his hand away and closed his eyes, she woke up. He could feel her looking at him for the longest moment and had assumed she was thinking about how to get out without waking him; but then the strangest thing happened. She moved closer and nuzzled her cheek against his collar bone as she let out content sigh. It wasn't until her breathing had resumed its slow, sleepy rhythm did the blue man open his eyes again to see if she had really done that. And sure enough, she was on his collar bone and asleep. He smiled down at the top of her head and closed his eyes, wrapping an arm around her waist.

However, no matter how happy he would get, both emotionally and physically, Hidan was always there to tease the two of them. The silver-haired man was very profane in his teasing, and though Kisame tried to ignore it and act mature, he was starting to get on his last nerve. At times, he wished that Hidan wasn't immortal; at least then threats would have more of an effect on him. And it was because of the teasing that he hid the smiles he would give the girl.

He just hoped that the immortal man would stop soon before he snapped…

* * *

Itachi waited for his little brother at their usual meeting spot just outside of the Fire Country's borders. This little affair of theirs was never a part of his plan, but when he had found his brother injured and shirtless…he just couldn't help himself. The moment Sasuke had been healed, Itachi took the boy's virginity. Apparently, the younger boy had liked what had happened to him for he had sent a hawk to tell Itachi to meet at this spot once again. They fucked for hours and God it was wonderful. After that, they had agreed that, once a month, they would meet here and have sex. Itachi wasn't sure why his little brother kept coming back after all the horrible things he had done to him, but at least the older Uchiha knew why he himself kept returning. He had fallen in love with his little brother…but he would never tell him that. Surely it would just ruin everything. And yet, a part of him kept telling him it was a bad idea to hold the feeling back; that he would regret not saying it sooner one day…

However, this meeting was going to be different from the others, he was sure of that. The last time they had met up, Sasuke was agitated about something; and when Itachi had begun to nip at the boy's neck and slide his shirt off, the boy had pushed him away and screamed numerous things at him. He couldn't recall what those words had been, it was best not to, but after that Sasuke had stormed off. Itachi had waited for him, and when morning came there was still no sign of his little brother. It had put him in bad mood to be stood up by the little brat, and he regrets taking his anger out on Kisame. And he was quite sure today was going to be a bad meeting too.

Sasuke stepped silently out of the bushes and stood feet away from the older Uchiha. The boy's hand rested on the handle of his katana and stared blankly at his older brother, who returned with a stare void of emotion. They stood in silence, the only noise being the leaves rustling against each other as a breeze blew by. Itachi wanted to just walk up to the boy and shove his tongue down his throat and rip all his clothes off, but he knew that now wasn't the time.

It was the youngest Uchiha who decided to break the silence with a monotone voice, "I'm supposed to hate you," he started. "And I do. Everyday I think about what you have done to me and to the clan, and I hate you for it."

Itachi let a small smirk escape him. _Your mind may hate me_, he said inwardly, _but your body doesn't._

"Why I come here every month and let you fuck me…is still confusing to me," he continued. "That's why I came here one more time to tell you I'm never coming back."

The words struck Itachi like a knife stabbing his heart multiple times. He was breaking up with him…the one person he loved in the world, wanted nothing more to do with him.

But he didn't let his face show his pain. He just smiled wickedly, "You'll come back eventually Sasuke-kun," he purred a he began to advance to the young man, whose grip tightened on the katana. "You know you'll want more."

The katana flew out of its sheath and its tip pressed against the older Uchiha's throat. "I'm not your fucking toy anymore Itachi," Sasuke hissed, "I'm moving on to something better."

It was then that the older of the two felt his eyes narrow into a glare. "You're leaving me…for someone _else_?" He saw the nervous gulp the boy took and immediately he grabbed the boy's wrist and broke it. A howl of pain came out of Sasuke as the katana clanked to the ground. Itachi pulled him closer and clutched his shoulders, shaking him and he spoke, "Who? Who is he!"

Sasuke glared up at him and spat, "Like I'm gonna tell you who she is! I'm not that stupid Itachi." He struggled against his brother's grip, but the older man just dug his fingers deeper into the shoulders he held hostage. He was leaving him for a _woman_?

"Why?" Itachi whispered dangerously, "Why are you leaving me for _her_?"

The glare deepened when the younger Uchiha spoke just as quietly, "Because she loves me. You just use me for your own sick pleasures." Itachi's grip loosened on the boy, who took full advantage and pulled away, stepping far away from the baffled man.

He knew it. He knew he would regret not telling his brother his true feelings. He knew that it would haunt him, and now it would do worse. It would kill him. He felt like dying right then and there; but he had to stay alive. The only way he'd die was by Sasuke's hands.

Rage dwindled down to sadness. There was nothing he could do. He couldn't force his little brother to love him, and he was damned sure that saying "I love you" now would change anything. There was nothing left to do than just let him go…

Sasuke picked up the katana and sheathed it, keeping a wary eye on the older Uchiha. "I'm going to leave now," the boy announced, "The next time I see you, I'm gonna kill you."

"Yes," Itachi mumbled barely loud enough for the other to hear, "of course Otouto. Hopefully, you won't succeed."

He didn't say anything. The younger Uchiha turned his back and began to leave.

_Don't go, _Itachi wanted to say, _Don't leave me. _

But his little brother's figure began to disappear in the forest.

_I'll die if you leave me! Don't go! Please!_

It wasn't until he couldn't see the boy any longer did Itachi confess his feelings to the open, "I love you."

But the one who was meant to hear those words was gone.

Gone for good…

* * *

Kisame watched her try to calm Tobi down from the shadows. The way she handled the energetic man reminded him of a mother trying to calm a child. It made him wonder if she liked kids or if she had ever considered having any…? He heard her squeak in surprise and saw the masked man hugging her tightly. "Dariru-kun's so nice!" the man chirped happily. The blue man couldn't help but glare at the one hugging the girl he wanted. It wasn't until that she started to push the masked-man off did a small smile creep across his face. He wanted to tell her what she meant to him, but he didn't feel ready to say those words yet. But he would be more than happy to _show_ her how he felt…

Someone grabbed his arm and pulled him away from the scene. "What the—!?" he started as he was forced to follow the person down the living hall. Once he had regained his balance, the blue man saw who had taken him form his hiding spot. "Itachi?" he said, baffled at his partner's behavior, "What are you doing man?"

Itachi didn't answer; he just kept pulling the larger man by the arm and opened the door to his room. They both went in, where Itachi released his hold and closed the door.

"Itachi, what's gotten into you?" Kisame asked with concern for the man. He looked sick and…sad.

"I followed him," The pale man blurted out, "I followed him after the fucker left me!"

The blue man raised his hands. This was very unlike the Uchiha to do this…what had happened to make him so…crazy? "Woah, man, slow down. Who left you?"

Itachi was breathing heavily now and pushed away his long bangs furiously, "Sasuke. Sasuke left me for someone else."

Even though Kisame didn't think fucking relatives was the best thing to do, he knew how much the younger Uchiha meant to his partner, and now understood why he was acting so strangely. "Itachi…I-I'm so sorry…"

"I found out who he left me for," The man spat in anger, "I found her crossing the border to see him." He paused before crying out, "It's that pink-haired kunoichi that he used to hate as a kid! _HER! _He picked her over me!" His body was shaking in spasms now, and Kisame was afraid of what his partner would do in his rage. But instead of a massive rampage, the Uchiha slumped to the floor and leaned his back against the door. His silence was beginning to make the larger man worry, but he spoke up just as the blue man was going to say something, "I was going to kill her," he mumbled, "I could have too. She's so weak…but…I didn't."

Kisame licked his lips nervously and dared to speak, "Why not?"

Itachi looked at him with blank eyes and replied, "Sasuke said that she had loved him. I didn't believe him…until I saw her look at him." A smirk came from him and he shook his head, "They were both giving each other soft looks and smiles…" the thought seemed to make the man happier than he was before, "They were the same looks that I see you give Dariru when you think no one else is looking."

The blue man could have sworn that his heart skipped a beat at his partner's words. How did he know? Better yet, how was he able to see him give her those looks? "I," Kisame stuttered, "I-I d-don't know what you're talking abou—"  
"Don't play coy with me," Itachi snapped, standing up and began to pace about the room. He stopped and looked at him, "Have you told her how you feel yet?"

"N-no, but she'll—"

"She'll never love you?" He finished for him.

"Yeah...I look the part of a monster after all." Kisame pointed at his face for emphasis.

His partner gave him a blank stare, "She gives you the same looks too you know. Though, she's not as good as hiding it as you are."

The things he was saying made Kisame wonder if his partner was telling the truth. Was she looking at him with the same way he looked at her? Or was Itachi just saying that to make him feel better? Then again she did nuzzle into him that morning…she did sigh contently at being with him of all people…

"You need to tell her," Itachi's voice pulled him out of his thoughts. "You need to tell her soon. If you don't," he could have sworn he saw tears forming around the edges of the pale man's eyes, "you'll regret it…just like I am now."

His words added a weight to the larger man. It was true; he needed to tell her how he felt soon. If he didn't, it would only be a matter of time before she would be waking up in someone else's bed…

"Alright," Kisame mumbled, "I'll tell her…but are you sure you'll be okay Itachi?"

The man nodded, "I'll stay in my room for a few days, but I'll get over it soon. At least I know my little brother is in good company now."

And with those final words, the blue man left his pale partner to his own thoughts. The man had been right…if he kept his feelings bottled up, how would he know if she felt the same way? And if he couldn't say those words yet, then he could at least show her…

"Hey Kisame?"

Speak of the devil…

"Is it alright if I take a shower? I uh…kind of need one…"

Kisame smirked. What kind of person bathes twice in the same day…? But when he looked at her, he could have sworn he died a little on the inside. The girl was covered in blood.


	15. The Other Kunoichi

Chapter Fifteen: The Other Kunoichi

* * *

**Author's Notes:**** All I'll say for this chapter is that drama will ensue. Thank you for the reviews, alerts, favorites and views! I appreciate them very much! Okay, that's it. Don't kill me!**

* * *

Everyday his face was hidden by a mask, but Dariru could tell by his body language and the way he held his head low that Tobi had done something wrong. She put her hands on her hips and looked at the black hole in his mask. "Okay Tobi," she sighed, "What did you do this time?"

The boy perked up suddenly and began to stutter, "Wh-what is Dariru-kun talking about? T-Tobi didn't do anything wrong! Tobi is a good boy! Tobi would never…" she kept staring him down, never blinking at all, and it made the boy shrink as every word became softer than the last. "Do…anything….wrong…"

Her stare never faltered and the boy just seemed to get smaller and smaller. With a calm voice she said, "Good boys don't lie Tobi."

That got him. The boy grabbed fistfuls of his black hair before shrieking out, "AAAH! Tobi is sorry! Tobi didn't mean to do it! Tobi was just-just curious!"

She grabbed his shoulders, panic suddenly washing over her. Good lord, what did the idiot do this time? "Tobi!" she called out to him, shaking him a little, "What. Did. You. _Do_?"

He shivered and looked about the big empty room nervously before telling the truth. "Tobi…found some of Deidara-senpai's special clay and…uh…played with it in the kitchen. Then Hidan-san came in and got mad at me for getting some of it on his chair and took it to his room! And Tobi's too scared to get it back…" he sounded like he was on the verge of hysterical tears.

Dariru groaned in aggravation at the story. Though, she was quite sure he didn't just "find" Deidara's clay lying outside of the blonde's room. But so far the man hadn't gone on a Tobi-hunting-rampage…she assumed he hadn't found out about the missing clay _yet_ or he just didn't notice. Either way, she was the one who had to go play fetch for the boy.

"Alright," she sighed, "You wait here. I'll get the clay and return it to Deidara." The air rushed out of her lungs as Tobi's arms squeezed her in an attempt at a hug. She let him hug her for a split second before trying to push away from him.

"Dariru-kun's so nice!" he squealed happily before letting go of her.

Dariru took in a few breaths before turning away, "Thank you, Tobi." She began to walk towards the living hall and hollered back to the masked boy, "You stay right there Tobi! Don't move!" She was worried what Hidan would do when she knocked on his door. Most likely he would yell and curse for a while…hell, he probably wouldn't even give her the clay when she asked for it. And if he didn't, she'd tell Deidara everything and, hopefully, he'd get his clay back without much of a fight.

Light seeped from beneath the door and the agonizing screams of Hidan could be heard from behind the thick slab of wood. Now she was nervous. The man was in the middle of one of his rituals…his reaction to a disruption would be most unpleasant. Then again, so would Deidara's reaction when he found out that Tobi had taken some of his clay. She took a deep breath, raised her fist, and knocked on the decorated door. She was expecting him to tell her to go away, but the opposite happened.

"Come in!" Hidan hollered with effort. She hesitated for a moment. The possibility that this was a trick of some sort was high, but she wouldn't get another chance like this in her lifetime. She opened the door and stepped into the immortal's room, and what a scene it was!

The obvious smell of blood invaded her nostrils while the Jashin symbol had been drawn, with blood, on the floor where the silver-haired man lay with numerous objects stabbed into his body. More weapons were scattered about the floor, untouched by blood or flesh. Crimson liquid seeped from beneath his body and began to spread across the floor. A spear was in his chest and there was a short sword pinning one of his arms to the stone floor. Numerous knives and shuriken were lodged into his legs and feet. The sight made her shiver with excitement. There was so much blood…it looked so…so…

"Shit, it's you," Hidan grumbled. "Whatever. Get that sword over there," he nodded towards the short sword that was near the edge of the circle. The girl obeyed and lifted the weapon, running the face of the blade across her palm slowly. It felt so smooth…What would happen if she cut open flesh with this blade? Would they scream? How much blood would pour out? "Now," Hidan interrupted her thoughts, "stab my right arm."

Normally, she would have looked at the man like he was crazy and put the sword down. But she was so mesmerized by the sight and smell of the blood…it was like she were under a spell of some sort. She knelt down, raised the blade over her head, and forced it through his bone and flesh. Warm blood found its way to her face and clung to her skin like a leech.

He screamed in pain, which then turned into an amused cackle. "Fuck yeah!" His breathing was starting to become heavy, "That was a good one! And since you're at it," he motioned to the floor where more sharp objects lay, "Get a kunai and slit my throat. My arms are damned useless now." She grabbed the closest kunai and decided to be more malicious. The hand that held the weapon was calm and steady as it dragged the blade softly enough to not cut the skin across the man's neck. It wasn't a seductive kind of teasing that she was doing; it was more like a cat keeping its prey alive while it was bleeding out slowly beneath its giant paw. The man gave her a look of impatience once the blade started to trail across his jaw and then his cheek. Just as his agitation was beginning to reach its limits, she cut his cheek deep enough for the blade to scrap against the bone beneath.

His wince was out of surprise more than of pain. "Are you deaf woman!?" he hollered, "You're supposed to slit my throat! Not my fucking face!" Immediately, she dug the edge of the kunai into his neck and dragged it all the way to the other side. Again he screamed, and when he did, blood would squirt out and get on her face and clothes; some of it even got into her eye. She stood up and rubbed her eye at the sudden irritation. It was then that Hidan started to mumble some prayers and then became silent. She wasn't sure what to do, so the girl just stood over the blood-covered man while he performed his ritual.

"Hey," Hidan finally mumbled, "Help me get some of these things out of me."

"Um…okay," and she began to yank the swords and shuriken out of his body with difficulty. It had been easy to put them in, but it took some effort to take them out. And throughout the whole time, Hidan would screech from the pain and scold her for being too rough on his weapons. The man stood up as if nothing were wrong with him and grabbed an old towel from the top of his drawer to wipe the blood off. He gave her a skeptical look and ordered, "Go take a shower. It looks like you just got out of a fucking massacre, seriously."

When she looked at her hands, they were covered in his blood and it was starting to feel uncomfortable. Without another word, the girl left his room and made her way to Kisame's and saw the blue man standing in front of the door. It would be polite to ask if she was allowed to use the shower…just in case he had some special rule for taking multiple showers in one day,

"Hey Kisame?" She questioned once she was next to him, "Is it alright if I take a shower? I uh…kind of need one…" His expression, when he turned to look at her, was one of pure horror and shock.

* * *

He was speechless for a moment as he stared at the blood-covered girl. Had he known where the blood had come from, the blue man would find this new situation quite intimate. However, he didn't know if this blood came from her own injury or not, and that was what made him worry. "Dariru!" He gasped as he kept gawking in shock at the drying red liquid on her face. "Wh-what the hell happened to you!?"

The girl shrugged and looked at her bloody hands, "Hidan needed me to help him with his ritual. So I did." The panic in him began to die down into suspicion. Why did Hidan ask her for help of all people? Was all of the blood on her his? Or was some of it her own? Kisame's fists clenched tightly at the thought. If the immortal man had done anything to her he would personally cut him into little pieces and hide them.

"So, can I?" Her tiny voice cut in.

Kisame shook his head, "Can you what?"

"Take a shower? I swear it'll be quick."

"Yeah," he nodded and moved out of the way, "Go right ahead."

She smiled at him, "Thank you," and disappeared into his room.

The blue man stormed into Hidan's room and slammed the door shut. The silver-haired man jumped in surprise and turned quickly to face the intruder. When he saw who it was, his once wide eyes narrowed and he snarled, "What the hell do you want?"

Kisame ignored the blood on the ground as he advanced towards the man, "What did you do to her!?"

Hidan gave him a skeptical look and snorted, "I didn't fucking touch her, fish sticks." A mischievous grin slid across the man's face, his voice taking a more sultry tone, "She's the one who touched me."

"Bullshit!" he snapped, "She wouldn't touch you in the way you're suggesting!"

The grin disappeared and he shrugged, "Whatever." He winced and held his right arm delicately, "Fuck man…" he hissed, "Bitch did a fine job at stabbing. Got one of the nerves…"

"Why was she in here Hidan? You never let anyone in when you're doing a ritual." Kisame wanted to know what had really happened, and fast.

"'Cause I fucking told her to," he snapped, "Or does it get your panties in a twist when she's in someone else's room and not in yours?" The question was meant to have a sexual innuendo, and it just made the shark-like man more furious.

"It pisses me off," he growled, "when I see her covered in blood and I don't know who it belongs to!"

Another grin and he said, "Aw, is little Kisame afraid he won't have any one to screw if she dies?"

That was it. He snapped. The blue man's hand wrapped around Hidan's throat and he lifted him up as if he were nothing. He slammed the gasping man against the wall and hissed quietly, "I have _never_ laid a hand on her."

Hidan did his best to laugh mockingly. "Wow dude. Sounds like you actually care about the little bitch." His grip tightened around his neck. This teasing was starting to get on his nerves…at this point, he was willing to do anything to end it. "Heh, I'm guessing that you do." Again, Hidan tried to laugh, but to no avail this time. "How fucking adorable," he mocked, "Do you fucking love her?" The silver-haired man paused, waiting for an answer. But Kisame didn't want to give the man the pleasure nor the firepower to continue. However, even his silence added fuel to the fire. "You do…holy shit, you do!" With every word he uttered, the blue man tightened his grip, feeling the man's windpipe start to give under the pressure. How Hidan was still able to talk was unknown to him. "Ha ha! What a way to look like a fucking pussy man!"

This had to end. And the only way to end it was to prove Hidan wrong.

"Shut the fuck up!" Kisame snarled, pounding the man's head against the wall. He winced and gulped. It was rare for the large man to swear; the fact that he did meant he was pissed off. Kisame looked up at the suffocating man and glared at him. "You wanna know what I think of her? Fine. I'll tell you."

* * *

By the time Dariru was clean and had put all her clothes back on, she realized that she had yet to retrieve Deidara's clay. She cursed beneath her breath and hurried out of the room and to Hidan's. Hopefully, the man would let her into his room once more without much complaint. But when she stood in front of his door she could hear voices. It was barely audible, the door was so thick, but she could hear them. And though she was not one to eavesdrop, curiosity told her to open the door just a bit; and she did. The girl opened the door just enough to hear what was going on and to not be seen.

"You wanna know what I think of her?" The familiar sound of Kisame's voice reached her ears. What was he doing in Hidan's room? And why were they talking about her? "Fine," he continued, "I'll tell you." Dariru held her breath, a part of her anxious to hear what he thought of her and another part nervous and frightened.

What she heard made her wish she had taken a longer shower…

"I hate her," Kisame snarled, "I've hated her since the moment I first saw her. She's the most annoying, talkative, and _weakest_ woman I have ever met in my entire life!" The words made her gut twist painfully and her heart break. She wished she could just stop listening, but her legs refused to move and she was forced to hear more. "Throughout the whole time I was with her, she just slowed me down. It's because of her that a bunch of oinins found us! And let's not forget about those stupid nightmares she kept having. She'd be terrified of things that weren't real. It was so pathetic that I'm surprised she's even made to the rank of gennin."

Then Hidan's voice strained to speak loud enough for anyone to hear, "So why'd you keep her? Why not kill her?"

There was a pause before the blue man spoke again. "Well, maybe I was planning on having a little _fun_ with her later on."

She couldn't take it anymore. Anger and sadness fought each other for dominance over her actions. And for a moment, anger won; for she opened the door wider before slamming it shut, making it quite obvious to them that she had been listening. Her feet pounded into the rock floor as they took her away from the scene. Everything was starting to blur as her face started to heat up from anger. She had no idea where she was going and she didn't care where either; as long as it was away from Kisame. Tears began to form and she tried to fight them away.

_Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry, _She commanded herself.

_Don't you dare cry! _

More tears began to push themselves out of her eyes.

_Whatever you do…_

The tears fell from her eyes and slid down her cheeks quickly.

_Don't you dare cry!_

It was no use. She cried. She cried as the pain of her gut twisting and heart breaking consumed her. Those words had hurt her so much. But what did she expect? He was a criminal; she was foolish to think that he would even think of loving anyone. And she was even more of a fool for falling in love with him. She choked back sobs as her feet began to stop in the middle of an empty hallway. Without thinking, the girl leaned against the wall and sat down, hiding her tear-stained from the world with her arms and knees. She felt so weak as her body continued to cry out its anger and sadness. It felt so painful…it made her wish the Grim Reaper would appear and kill her; to finally end this horrible misery.

And when she felt a gentle hand place itself on her shoulder, Dariru had honestly thought that it was death. But when she looked up, she saw the face of woman. It made Dariru blink in surprise. She had no idea that there was another girl in the Akatsuki!

The woman raised an eyebrow and asked, "What's got you in a bad mood new girl?"

"I," the girl started, "I-I…" she couldn't hold it back. She let her sobs and cries out freely in front of the woman. Good lord she must have looked so pathetic and weak…just like Kisame said…

"It's alright," the woman cooed, coaxing Dariru to stand up by gently pulling her up, "Come on girlie. We'll talk in my room." And the girl followed the blue-haired woman without any protests.

* * *

Both of the men heard the door slam shut and immediately guilt gripped Kisame's mind and heart. She had heard him...she had heard him say those horrible things about her. He released his grip on Hidan, who slumped to the ground and proceeded to have a coughing fit, and looked at the door. What had he done? He was so close to showing her how he felt and he ruined it by letting his anger get the better of him. She would never want to see him now…

No. He had to find her. She needed to know that what he said wasn't true; none of it was. He just wanted Hidan to get off of their backs! That was all!

Hidan started to talk. Kisame didn't know what he was talking about for he was too busy grabbing a sword. With one swift turn and thrust, the blue man wedged the sword through the back of the immortal's mouth when it opened and anchored it into the rock wall. The man glared and him and made furious muffled noises as his weakened hands tried to pull the sword out. But he didn't wait to see if the immortal would break free. Kisame left and hurriedly went to the large empty room.

"You did _WHAT_!?" Deidara yelled at Tobi as the masked man struggled to get out from beneath the blonde's choke-hold. Tobi was trying to say something, but it came out more as a gurgle. However, Kisame wasn't really paying attention to the awkward position the two were in.

"Hey," he interrupted the two.

Deidara looked at the blue man, fury still etched in his face, "What, un?"

"Do you guys know if Dariru came this way?"

"I haven't seen Dariru-ne-chan all day, yeah," The blonde replied. Kisame completely dismissed the fact that he had just called the girl his sister and looked at Tobi.

"What about you Tobi? Have you seen her?"

Apparently, Deidara loosened his grip, for the masked man spoke up, "Tobi saw Dariru-kun go by before Deidara-senpai attacked Tobi. But…Dariru-kun looked very sad…Tobi thought she was crying…" Guilt twisted his gut once more. It would take a lot of explaining to convince her that he didn't mean what she had heard.

"Sad?" Deidara was suddenly interested in what was going on, "What do you mean _sad_, un? Kisame-danna what did you do to my little sister, yeah?"

Kisame ignored the blonde and looked at the man beneath him, "Did you see where she went?"

Tobi nodded and pointed to the hallway that led to Pain's and Konan's rooms. "That way."

He grumbled to himself, hoping that the girl hadn't run into Konan.

* * *

"Then the asshole grabbed my ass," Konan continued with her story, adding an emotion of disbelief.

Dariru giggled and asked, "Did you kick him in the balls?"

The woman scoffed, "No. I ripped his arm off and beat him with him." The tale was about how her previous experiences with men while she was on missions. It had been quite amusing and had cheered Dariru up when the woman really got into it. "Of course the little wimp passed out from seeing all the blood. Whatever, I kept beating him with his own arm 'til it was time to go." She took a gulp of tea before smiling at the girl, "You have no idea how long it's been since I've talked with another girl. It sucks living with a bunch of guys. They're such hypocrites too. Like Hidan talks about his stupid rituals all the time, but when I start to talk about my period the guy tucks his tail and runs!"

Another laugh from Dariru before she took a sip of the tea Konan made for the two of them. It was quite good and it calmed her down. She had told the woman what she had heard Kisame say once they were in her room. Throughout the whole time the girl had been trying to hold back her sobs. And when Konan had asked why such petty little words had affected her, she told her…She told her that she loved him…After that, the blue-haired woman started to tell stories of previous missions and of her own experiences in the Akatsuki. Most of them were quite amusing and had put Dariru in a better mood.

"Speaking of which," Konan pointed at Dariru and grinned, "if that immortal bastard ever gives you any trouble, go ahead and stab him."

"Really?" It sounded too good to be true.

"Yeah, go right ahead. Everyone uses him as a stress reliever. You won't get in trouble for it either." It would be nice to stab the man once in a while… "Anyway," Konan placed her cup down on her drawer and looked at the girl in the eyes, "do you think he meant what he said?"

Her heart began to sink as the subject returned. The good mood was starting to disappear as sadness took over. "I guess," she mumbled, "he sounded like he meant it…"

Konan moved to sit on her bed and said, "I don't think he did."

Dariru blinked, "But…how do you know?"

She shrugged, "Not really sure. But he just carries that type of air, you know? The only people he'd want to hurt are the ones he didn't know or hated."

"But…" she mumbled, "He said that…he hated me…"

Before Konan could speak again someone knocked on the door. The blue-haired woman glared at the door and got up. "Hold on," she murmured before opening the door just a bit.

"Is Dariru in there?" The girl heard the voice of Kisame ask. What was he doing here? And why was he looking for her?

"Go away," Konan snapped, "I'm talkin' with her."

"Konan-san, I just need to tell her that—" But the woman wasn't having any of it.

Dariru watch as the woman opened the door wider and stepped towards the giant blue man in the most intimidating way. "Do you have any idea how long it's been since I've talked with another chick!? It sucks having to just talk to guys! I'm gonna talk with her for as long as I want! You can have her back when I'm finished!" He stepped away from her like she had a plague. Dariru had to stifle a laugh at how meek he looked compared to woman. "Now go away before I start throwing used tampon at you!" And with that, Konan returned to the room and closed the door loudly.

"Used tampons?" Dariru repeated, "Does that actually work?"

A mischievous grin appeared on the woman's round face, "Yeah it does. Especially since they all think I'm crazy." But before she could sit down again, there was another knock at the door. The woman groaned in aggravation and started to get something out of her pockets. The door opened to reveal Kisame, but Konan didn't even let him get a word in before she began to throw things at him. "I. Wasn't. KIDDING!" She kept throwing small objects at him even when he started to run away from her. "And just for that, she's gonna sleep in my room tonight!" Konan hollered before she started to return to her room once more.

Dariru let the laugh escape her mouth. She couldn't help herself. Kisame, the biggest man she had ever seen, just got run off by a woman half his size! After her laughing fit had ceased, the girl asked, "What did you throw at him anyway?" The woman pulled a swollen red tampon out of one of her pockets. Dariru looked at the bloated thing, then at Konan and asked, "Is that what I think it is?"

The blue haired woman smiled and shoved the tampon back into her pocket, "It's just red paint. But it does the trick." A burst of laughter came from Dariru as she imagined the look on the blue man's face when he realized what Konan had been throwing at him. If only she had seen it for herself; it would have been priceless. "But yeah," Konan sat on her bed, "I don't think he meant any of it."

"How do you know?" Dariru asked again.

A smile came across the woman's face as she explained, "Well, he _was_ looking for you just now. And he looked pretty worried."

Hope rose within the girl, "Really?"

"Yeah. Really." She nodded

Dariru smiled to herself. She was still mad that he had said those things about her, but she was happy at the thought that he might not have meant it. But if he didn't mean any of it, why did he say it? Was there a part of him that believed she was all those things? She was just so confused right now…

"So…" the girl started, "what do I do now?"

"Now?" Konan repeated, "Well, now we get something to munch on from the kitchen and talk some more."

* * *

Kisame made sure to scrub every inch of his body twice to make sure he had gotten all of the old menstruation blood off of him. He knew Konan could be a little out of it at times, but he didn't think that she'd actually throw _used tampons_ at him! It was just gross! Sure he liked blood, but _that_ kind of blood was different! He turned the shower off when he was done and began to dry himself off. What was he going to say to Dariru when it was time to explain? "Sorry I insulted you and made you cry, but I really love you. Honestly."

He smirked in disbelief at himself and threw the towel onto the floor. "Yeah right," he mumbled aloud, "like she'd believe that." Once he had put his pants on, the blue man laid down on his bed and stared at the blank ceiling. Guilt made him hurt in places he never thought could hurt. It made him feel weak and pathetic. But he knew who the cause of this pain was, and he cursed her for it. Why did she have to eavesdrop? Why did she have to have such an impact on him? Why did he love her?

"_So," he crossed his arms over his bare chest, trying to seem intimidating, "there's nothing about me that frightens you? Not in the least?"_He remembered asking her when they were in the lake together.

"_No…well, actually…there is one thing…" she turned her head enough for him to see the humorous smile on her face, "I'd be afraid to fight you." And she turned away from_ _him__…_

She wasn't afraid of his appearance. Even though she was afraid of sharks, or so she claims, she wasn't afraid of him…Not only that, but she was just unusual. She wasn't the typical, weak little girl who complained about everything. No, she just knew that there were problems in the world but kept going on with life instead of complaining about it. Plus, she loved the sight of blood and had even told him that she felt safe around him.

Kisame groaned in aggravation and covered his face with his hands. He was such an idiot to say those things. If only he could go back and stop himself from going into Hidan's room and giving in under the pressure…if only…

It was then that the man decided to sleep the time and pain away. But it was then that he realized how cold and empty his bed was without her in it…


	16. Apology

Chapter Sixteen: Apology

* * *

**Author's Notes:**** Well, so far I'm still alive so…no one totally killed me for the last chapter. :D I'm glad you guys liked it! And don't worry; it gets better in this one ;) And I kind of changed up my writing style at one point in the chapter; only because I didn't want to pull your attention completely away from the action. Thank you all so much for the reviews, views, favorites, and alerts! Enjoy this chapter! :D Also, school has started so updates may be slower than usual D:**

**Oh and uh…by the way….**

***Lemon warning***

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* * *

That night, the nightmares had grown worse. It was as if they were making up for all the nights they had not appeared. Dariru remembered being shaken awake by Konan and immediately after the girl had to run to the bathroom to empty all of the contents in her stomach into the bowl of the toilet. She had felt and smelled everything in the dream as if it were real. The mangled mess of slaughtered bodies stayed in her head and the smell of rotting corpses lingered in her nose as if Zetsu had just left the room.

"Damn girl," Konan whispered as Dariru began to wash the rest of the stomach acid from her mouth. "What was that all about?"

She spat out a mouthful of water and took in heavy, shaky breaths. "I had a nightmare…" she answered as her arms and knees shook like chattering teeth.

"A nightmare did _that_?" the woman didn't seem to believe it. "Is this normal for you?"

She shook her head, "No…this is the first time I've puked because of one."

There was a pause before Konan said with a bit of humor, "Or it could have been those chips you ate. I wouldn't be surprised if those had gone bad two years ago. The men never tell me or Pein when we need to restock food."

By the time the shaking stopped, Dariru stood up and took deep breaths to calm the small adrenaline rush. She caught a glimpse of herself in the bathroom mirror and groaned inwardly at the sight. Her short hair was a mess from last night's sleep, small red spots decorated her cheeks from all the vomiting, and there were rings below her eyes from the nightmare. All-in-all, she looked like a complete mess.

Konan placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile, "C'mon. Let's get something _good_ to eat." The girl nodded and followed the older woman to the kitchen.

* * *

Morning had arrived and he felt miserably tired and grumpy. Last night Kisame had been unable to sleep. His bed had seemed so cold without her body heat close to himself; not only that, but guilt kept tearing at his mind. It made him wonder how he could explain it all to Dariru, and how he would apologize to her. There was no way he was going to say anything in public, it would make him look like a fool and give more ammo to Hidan if he was there; no he would need to talk to her in private. But how? The only private place for their conversation in the organization was his room. And there was no way she would willingly go _there_ after hearing what he had said about her.

It was thoughts and plans like these that had kept the blue man up all night, tossing and turning in his own bed. _Damn woman, _He grumbled inwardly as he got out of bed sluggishly, _It's all her fault that this is happening. If I had abandoned her during our travels, none of this would be happening now! _And yet, even as he bitterly dressed himself, he knew that he was glad he hadn't abandoned her. He was glad that he had met her. When Tobi had said that he had seen her crying, Kisame had felt a part of him die on the inside. It had been his fault she had shed tears; and he wanted to fix it.

Even though that was what he was thinking, the blue man still carried an annoyed and grumpy air about him as he staggered tiredly to the kitchen. A cup of coffee would make him feel much better.

The kitchen was very quiet when Kisame entered. Deidara and Tobi weren't bickering as much as they usually did. Kakuzu walked past him as soon as the stitched man had gotten his cup of magical caffeine. Even Hidan wasn't cursing as much this morning _and_ he was fully clothed. That was when the blue man spotted Pein's blue-haired kunoichi standing at the counter, preparing her breakfast, with _his_ brown-haired kunoichi at the opposite end of the kitchen, looking over her shoulder to talk to her new companion. Their eyes locked for a split second when Dariru turned her head to look forward once more. She gave him an awkward smile and avoided looking at him.

Had the man not been grumpy, Kisame would have just ignored it and talk to her about it later; however, he _was_ grumpy and he wouldn't stand having her avoid all eye-contact with him. The large blue man was next to Dariru in three large strides, grabbed her arm and began to pull her away from the kitchen and to his room. She struggled, shouted questions of protest, and even began to hit his arm with her free hand. It hurt, but he ignored it as they came closer to his door.

Apparently, the girl was just as bitter as he was, for Kisame felt her teeth clamp onto his arm dangerously. He cried out in pain and shock, his grip loosening just enough for her to pull her arm out and run away from him. She didn't get far since he chased after her. Another scream of protest came from the girl when he threw her over his shoulder and resumed to take her to his room. Tiny fists pounded on the still sensitive wound on his back, making the man wince in pain as he opened the door to his room. He hadn't expected her to turn into a little hellion because of this…in fact he was surprised at her actions. But once he had closed and locked the door, the large man dropped her informally on the bed. Dariru bounced a little and sat in pure shock at what had just happened.

Kisame was just glad that she wasn't attacking him anymore.

* * *

When he hadn't let her go, Dariru got mad. First he insults her, intentional or not, and now _this_? The small girl was not going to stand for it; even if she did know she wouldn't succeed. Venting out some of her anger out on him had helped a little…but now that it was out, it was controlling her. Her breath got heavy, her eyes narrowed into a stabbing glare, and her fists were clenched to keep herself from bolting for the door. The large man stared down at her, looking just as mad as she felt, with his jaw clenched and eyes narrowed. She decided to speak first.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!?" she hollered.

"I'm trying to apologize to you!" He hollered back just as loud.

"Well you've got a funny way of doing it!" The girl wouldn't take it anymore. She stood up and stormed to the door and unlocked it. Just as she began to open it, a large blue hand pushed the door close. The girl groaned in frustration and kept trying to re-open the door, but Kisame's hand kept it in place. The man's free hand slipped around her to lock the knob from turning. An angry grumble came from her as she tried to unlock it, but Kisame just grabbed her shoulder and turned her around to face him.

"Listen to me!" He practically growled; even his pointed teeth gave him an animalistic-look with the obvious frustration.

"NO!" She screamed. Deep down, she wanted to hear what he had to say; she wanted to be able to talk to him again knowing that he hadn't meant what he had said to Hidan. But anger still had its grip on her. "Last time I listened to you, you insulted me!"

"I didn't mean it!"

"It sure did sound like you did!"

Kisame grumbled loudly and ran both of his hands through his blue hair in frustration. "If you would just listen—"

"If you hate me so much, then why didn't you kill me!? Why didn't you just abandon me when you had the chance?! Why didn't you let those oinin kill me?!" Hot tears threatened to escape her once again; but she refused to cry in front of him. Not when she had him so baffled.

"Because I…I…" He was having trouble forming his words.

Dariru shook her head, "Whatever…I'll make sure not to get in your—"

Both of his hands clasped either side of her face and his lips crashed onto hers. For a moment her hands pushed at his chest, trying to stop this intimate contact. But he kept kissing her, and instead of pushing him away, they her hands wrapped loosely around his neck and pulled him in closer. Her knees got weak when she heard a faint growl come from him once she began to kiss him back. One of his hands trailed to her waist and the other to the back of her head. Pointed teeth nibbled at her lower lip and the girl had to suppress a tiny moan from escaping when the blue man slipped his tongue into her mouth. She let him roam around before joining in. Her tongue scraped against his teeth, and she could have sworn that it broke the skin, but it didn't matter now. It was just them and the kiss that mattered.

The man broke away and began to kiss at her neck hurriedly, nipping at the skin occasionally with his teeth. The feeling of his lips on her skin made Dariru sigh, and she tilted her head to the side to give him more access. Her body began to feel warm as he continued to kiss and nip at her, working his way up to her ear. It felt like heaven…the girl forgot about everything that had happened before this moment. She wanted to experience this with her complete attention.

"Don't leave," he pleaded softly into her ear, his breath quick and ragged like hers.

"I won't," she promised him. No matter what would happen, she would not leave this handsome blue man. She wouldn't give a damn what anyone would say…she planned on staying as long as he would want her to. He kissed her lips and she opened her mouth willingly to let his tongue explore her once more.

His hands roamed about her body, pulling her closer when he felt her tiny hands start to pull his headband off. The heavy metal band clanked on the rocky ground, but it didn't distract the two from their activity. The man licked a spot on her neck before biting at it with the tips of his teeth. He heard her blissful sigh and felt her body shudder from the sensation he was making her feel. This was better than any dream he had ever had of her; and it was making the strain in his pants more painful than ever. He wanted to take her now and burry himself deep inside her. But he couldn't…not if she wasn't willing.

However, a little moan escaped the girl when he accidentally broke the skin on her neck. There was a slight sign of pain in her face, but they were replaced with a sort of clouded look when she caught sight of her blood. The crimson liquid seeped slowly from the tiny wound, but Kisame licked it away and suckled on the opening, taking any new blood into his mouth. This time, a louder, more pleasurable, moan came from Dariru as she arched her back towards him, making both of their chests touch.

He grinned inwardly and pulled away from the wound to look at her face, "How far do you want me to go with this?"

The girl opened her half-closed eyes and replied honestly, "As far as you want this to go."

A normal man would have asked twice, just to make sure this was what his lover truly wanted. But Kisame was not a normal man, and he knew for damned sure that Dariru was no normal girl if she was willing to let _him_ take her like this. He only needed the answer once, and she only needed the question once. They knew what they were getting into, and now that she had consented, there was no turning back.

Large hands began to take her tank-top off, to which the girl merely lifted her arms up for the task to be completed. She grabbed his head and pulled him down for another kiss, this time letting her mewls and moans out every time the blue man's tongue decided to wander back to her mouth as his hands began to unclasp her bra. Her tiny hands wandered to his chest and began to rub everything they touched. They even began to pull the bottom of his shirt up so that they may feel him like he was about to feel her. With one quick motion, Kisame's shirt was off and her hands were tracing over the scars on his skin gently once his mouth began to trail short kisses down to her small breasts.

She hugged him tighter and gasped when she felt a tongue lap at a nipple. He began to suck and bite at her breast, making the girl clinging onto him writhe in anticipation at what would happen next. The girl could feel her core grow hotter and even felt the slight dampness in her underwear. How long was he going to keep teasing her like this, especially when she could feel his covered arousal brushing against her thigh?

It was then that strong arms lifted her from the ground and carried her to the bed, where he placed her on her back. If the girl could blush any brighter, she did when the large man straddled her hips before leaning down to catch her lips again. She melted into it and returned the favor, one hand running through his blue hair and the other tracing the scars that decorated his back and shoulders while she kicked off her boots. A hand rubbed her sides gently before trailing down to her pants. Once she heard the zipper being unzipped, Dariru knew this was it. She was about to give her virginity to an S-ranked criminal, who murdered numerous people and betrayed the country she had been born in.

And yet…the girl didn't give a damn what he had done. All that mattered was that she loved him, and that she had wanted this to happen for a long time. She had even forgotten that they had been arguing just minutes ago.

With a quick yank, her pants and black leggings were off and tossed to the side. Sharp teeth began to nibble on her lower lip as one of his hands trailed beneath her underwear…

A loud gasp escaped her when one of his fingers teased her wet entrance. Her back arched into him and she could have sworn that her eyes rolled to the back of her head in sheer delight of the feeling. An amused cackle came from Kisame as he began biting at her neck. The man sounded like he was close to loosing his self-control when he spoke, "Does that feel good?" She would have answered with words, but instead a moan came out once he slipped the finger inside of her.

The girl squirmed with delight when he started to explore the heat of her womanhood. Kisame felt her walls clench tighter when he inserted a second finger while his free hand pushed away her remaining garment. Although he wanted nothing more than to finally free himself of his pants and take her at last, he knew he had to prepare her. From what he had heard, the woman would feel pain during her first time even when properly prepared. The last thing he wanted was to inflict too much pain upon her. The man grinned wickedly when her face contorted with pleasure as he kept making scissoring motions with his fingers. She felt so hot and wet; it would feel better once his cock was in her.

He didn't stop until he felt one of her tiny hands grope at his belt and begin to undo it. A chuckle escaped him, moving his mouth to her ear to whisper, "Eager are we?"

Dariru's hands stopped for a split second. "M-maybe…" she sounded embarrassed that he had caught her, but it only made the blue man grin more. Kisame kissed her ear when she finally unclasped his belt and began tugging it off. He stopped kissing her and hovered above her face, looking into the girl's lustful eyes. "You sure you're prepared enough?" he questioned, moving the fingers that were still in her wet core back and forth.

A small moan rumbled in her throat at the motion his fingers made before answering. "Well…it's…it's gonna hurt no matter what." She seemed determined with her answer, making the man give her a small shrug before placing another kiss on her swollen and bleeding lips.

"Very well," he mumbled before sitting up to finally free himself. His hands quickly undid the zipper and button, pushing down his pants and boxers at the same time before tossing them onto the floor with the rest of their clothes. The cold air was the first thing he felt; and then he saw the girl's face sporting a bright red blush as she caught a glimpse of what was going to be inside of her soon. Her innocence made him laugh on the inside as he lowered himself once more over the tiny form, doing his best not to crush her completely. Kisame looked at her in the eyes once more and said, "Tell me if it starts to hurt too much. I'll stop if it does."

His words made her feel safe inside. And though she was nervous, and even a little frightened, Dariru nodded, "I will." She parted her lips when she saw his face get closer to her own and a wonderful shudder went through her as they kissed again. His large hands rubbed the sides of her face and the rest of her body. The girl could have sworn that she became more hot and wet when she felt the tip of him start to push at the entrance of her core. She moaned out and felt the man on top of her slip his tongue inside of her mouth, urging her to move her own pink muscle.

When Kisame felt she was too distracted with their little tongue wrestling, he shoved the rest of his awaiting cock into her eager womanhood. Had his mouth not been over hers, Dariru's sudden scream would have filled the room. Even her nails raked at his arms from the sudden pain of loosing her virginity. But even though she was suffering, Kisame was groaning at the sinful warmth that she was offering. However, he remained still, waiting for her to finally relax and get used to his size before beginning the real fun.

They were joined together…finally they were about to experience what they had only dreamed of doing to the other. Dariru had been a little shock at not only the pain, but at his size. The man was more wide than long, forcing her virgin walls to stretch uncomfortably, but she was certain that the pain would subside into pure ecstasy once she was used to him. She breathed heavily before calming down and letting herself relax. The hard part was over. Now was the time where she would find out what sex was all about.

Kisame drew his mouth away from hers and breathed, "You okay?'

"Yeah."

"This part," he grinned, "will be much better."

Dariru's hands gripped at the back of his head when she felt him start to move back and forth inside of her. The pain lingered for quite a while before it was replaced with a better kind of aching. With every thrust, he got deeper inside and grunted from the blissful feeling they were creating. Instinct made her lift her hips to meet his own, moaning every time he drove himself inside of her. Grunts and moans of pure pleasure mingled with one another, even as the pace was quickened.

Kisame felt her beginning to tighten around him and he knew she was as close to climaxing as he was. The blue man quickened his pace, making her throw her head back on the pillow as a long moan escaped her.

"K-Kisame…" she breathed, "I'm…I'm…aah!" another moan escaped her when he started to get a little rough.

"Do it," he growled into the crook of her neck, pounding into her harder as he felt himself nearing the ending point. In reply, the girl beneath him hugged their bodies close together as she screamed out his name. Her screams and orgasm made the man thrust into her a few more times before releasing his own orgasm inside. Instead of using words to express the shuddering feeling he was experiencing, the man bit down on her shoulder and groaned out loudly, his grip tightening evermore around the small being beneath him before relaxing and collapsing on her.

They both panted as exhaustion began to take over their bliss. Beads of sweat rolled down their bodies and onto the sheets. And as they lay there, too caught up in the moment to move, three little words came out of Dariru's mouth.

"I love you."

It was meant to be a whisper, more for hers own mind than to the world, but Kisame had heard it and acted like he hadn't heard. Even though he wanted to tell her the same thing, he just couldn't yet. But in time, he swore that he would. The man had rolled off of her and lay on his back, pulling the girl to him for her warmth and touch. She rested on his chest, just like she always did, and closed her eyes with the most content smile decorating her face. Even when she was asleep the blue man kept holding her close to him possessively. He wouldn't let anyone touch her in ways that were inappropriate; and he most certainly would not let Hidan get to him again. From this point on, she belonged to him. And he would take care of her to the best of his ability.

* * *

Konan inspected her painted nails, searching for one flaw to fix. But, as usual, she found none. The woman put down the nail polish and blew on the wet paint as Deidara stared at the kitchen's entrance expectantly. It was late in the afternoon and Kisame and Dariru had yet to come out of the shark-man's room. Of course, Konan wasn't worried; from she had heard happening in the hall, the girl could take care of herself if something bad were to go down. Besides, the two unsuspecting lovers needed to sort out their problem. She just hoped that the conflict would be resolved peacefully.

The blonde man fiddled with the mouths on his palms, looking at the door on occasion. He had been doing that ever since Kisame had dragged Dariru out this morning and it was getting on the woman's nerves.

"They'll be fine Deidara," she mumbled warningly at him.

"You sure?" he got up and sat across from the woman, "I mean…Kisame looked pretty peeved when her pulled her out, un. And did you hear them in the hall, yeah? They sounded like they were about to kill each other, un." The man held his hand out flat in front of her, indicating he wanted his nails done too.

With a roll of her eyes, Konan obliged his silent order and proceeded to paint the man's nails. If he wasn't a girl then he sure as hell was gay. "Everything will turn out fine," she reassured him, "You'll see. Tomorrow morning, they'll be talkin' and smilin' at each other as if they'd never had an argument."

An unsure grumbled came from the man, "If you say so, yeah."


	17. Morning After

Chapter Seventeen: Morning After

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**Author's Notes:**** So, I see quite a few people liked the lemon :3. First lemon I ever wrote, so (hopefully) the scenes will get better as chapters go on. And since they finally did it, I won't put a lemon warning at the beginning of each chapter. Only because well…if they've done it once they're bound to do it a lot more ;D. And the story is rated M for a good damn reason XD. Also, the plot will unfold in later chapters. And I'm switching my writing style to the kind I used during the lemon scenes. So from now on, there won't be any page marker-things unless it's switching to a different time-period in the story or to a minor character's point of view. **

**Thank you all very much for the reviews, views, favorites and alerts! I appreciate every single one of them! Enjoy!**

* * *

Kisame had one of the best dreams about Dariru last night. At first they had been arguing, but once he kissed her they stopped fighting and she had even let him take her. The dream had been more detailed than his other wet dreams, and more in character. It was as if he had actually been touching her, kissing her, and taking her innocence away with one simple motion…it made the man wish it had all happened.

Something was lying against him and the man knew it was the brown-haired kunoichi he had just dreamt about. Just like always, she had a hand on his shoulder while her head used his chest for a pillow. There was a smile on her face and he noticed a bit of a glow about her. When she shifted closer to him, bare legs intertwined with his and the man even felt one of her bare breasts push against his ribs. Kisame felt his face heat up at the realization. It hadn't been a dream; he and Dariru really had sex last night…he had claimed her virginity.

Before he could do anything, there was a knock at his door. Immediately, Kisame bolted up, pushing the girl on him off hurriedly, and looked for his pants. He ignored Dariru's questioning groans as he hopped into his boxers and grabbed for his pants. "Hold on!" He hollered at the person on the other side of the door as he tried to put his lower garments on.

"I'm coming in Kisame-danna!" Deidara announced as he opened the door. The blue man leapt at the door, closing it on the blonde's face with his shoulder, not even bothering to try to keep his pants up as he kept the door shut.

"Not yet you're not!" Kisame hollered. The blonde man kept trying to force the door open, but the blue man kept all of his weight on it.

"Why the hell not, un?" the blonde strained out.

"Because," he looked at the wide-eyed Dariru; it was obvious she had no idea what was going on, but he motioned his head to the bathroom and continued, "Dariru's in the shower and I'm still getting dressed!" The girl got the hint and jumped out of bed. The moment she did, a surprised squeak escaped her once she realized she didn't have any clothes on. Out of respect, the blue man looked away until he heard the bathroom door close.

"Let me in Kisame-danna!" Deidara ordered. When Kisame felt the pressure from the other side let up, he got off the door and opened it just as the blonde went to shove at it again. The younger man fell to the ground face-first.

"Good morning Deidara," The blue man greeted him as he stood up.

" 'Good afternoon' is more like it, un!" he huffed, "It's one in the afternoon, yeah! Why in the world were you two asleep for so long, hm?" He puckered his lips and batted his eyelashes mockingly, "Too busy cuddlin'?"

_You could call it that,_ Kisame answered inwardly; but instead, the larger man rolled his eyes and sighed, "What did you want Deidara?"

"I wanted to—" he stopped when he caught sight of the bed. The blonde man didn't say anything for a long time and it made Kisame wonder what had his attention. It wasn't until the younger man spoke that he found out, "What's that?"

"What's what?"  
A finger pointed directly at the sheets and he hissed, "_That, un!_"

Kisame looked at where he was pointing and saw a large blood stain on his sheets. The sight made the man blush and feel guilty at the same time. Was there supposed to be that much blood after a woman lost her virginity? But he hid the embarrassment with a smart-aleck response, "_That_ is called 'blood' Deidara."

"No shit, yeah! But where did it come from, hm?" It was then that the blonde man got so close to Kisame's face that their noses were crushed together, "Is that Dariru-ne-chan's blood!? I swear, un, if you hurt her I'll—"

"Calm down Deidara! How do you even know it's _her_ blood?" The blue man shoved the shorter one away from him. Anger always seemed to flare up inside of him every time someone accused him of hurting the girl. And though it was true that he had hurt her last night, it was only for a moment; and she had liked the way he had treated anyway.

"Well it's on _your_ bed, yeah," Deidara argued, "and she sleeps in _your_ bed too, un."

The blue man crossed his arms, "I also clean Samehada on my bed."

His mouth opened to keep arguing, but Dariru's meek little voice interrupted him, "Um…excuse me?" Both men looked at the bathroom door, which was cracked open just enough for them to see only a portion of the girl's face. Water dripped from her hair and her skin was red from the water's temperature. "C-could someone hand me my clothes?"

"Uh…yeah, sure, un," the blonde mumbled before bending down to gather her pants and leggings while Kisame hurriedly snatched up her underwear and tank top, hoping the younger man wouldn't notice how scattered they were.

The girl thanked them before closing the door. They stood in an awkward silence before Deidara cleared his throat, "Well…I'm gonna get going, un. And Dariru-ne-chan better come out soon so Tobi can stop pestering me, yeah." As soon as the younger man left, Kisame sighed in relief and sat at the end of his bed, holding his head in his hands.

What had he done?

During their argument last night Kisame knew he was starting to loose her; and if she had left, she would have never talked to him like they had before their little fight. The only reason why he had kissed her was so he could make her stay for a little longer. But he hadn't planned on taking her virginity the same night. He loved her but…what if the only reason she had consented was because of raging hormones? She is still quite young and that meant her reproductive system was at full-steam and had probably controlled most of her actions last night.

As his mind mulled over last night's activities, he remembered one thing she had said after their sex:

"_I love you."_

It made his heart pound faster when his mind lingered on that memory. How was she able to love a creature like himself? Again, his mind wandered to scenes before they had even kissed…She was always curled up close to him during sleep with the most peaceful look on her paling face. In fact, ever since she had started sleeping with him, Kisame noticed she didn't whimper or struggle as much during her slumber. Had her nightmares stopped haunting her because of him?

"_She gives you the same looks too you know. Though, she's not as good as hiding it as you are." _Itachi's words echoed inside of the man's head. Did she really feel something for him? Did she really love him?

"_I love you." _

Her words echoed in his head. He wanted to believe her, every part of his body wanted to accept that fact. But there was one part that wasn't convinced yet. What if those words were just the result of what they had done? She may have said it, but had she really meant it?

"Kisame?" Dariru spoke up. He looked over his shoulder to see the brown-haired girl clutching a towel close to her body. She looked worried.

"I thought you were getting dressed?" he questioned.

"I only asked for my clothes to get Deidara out of the room," she admitted, sitting herself behind him. "I heard what you two were saying. And I figured if you wanted him to know where the blood came from then you would have told him the truth."

Kisame scratched the back of his head, trying to think straight. But he couldn't; not when she was so close to him and with only a towel between him and her naked skin. He felt one of her tiny cold hands touch his shoulder lightly before hearing her concerned voice, "What's wrong?"

At first he wanted to lie and tell her nothing was wrong, that he was perfectly fine. But then more of Itachi's advice echoed in his head as if it were his own conscience, _"You need to tell her soon. If you don't, you'll regret it…just like I am now." _Though, he was positive he couldn't tell Dariru how felt about her, not until he knew how she felt about him. Without looking at the girl behind him, Kisame told her the truth, "Last night…before you fell asleep…I heard you say that you loved me." He sensed her tense up at his confession. It made his hopes drop. "And…I was only wondering if you meant it."

"Of course I meant it!" she shrieked in disbelief at him. Her reaction surprised and lifted him. The man turned his body so that he was looking right at the slightly fuming girl, "Kisame, if I didn't mean it, I wouldn't have said it! I know how powerful those three words are, and I don't just say them to anybody." It was then that the girl leaned forward and placed a light kiss on his cheek. "I love you. Even if you look like a shark," she gave him an amused smile before placing another kiss on is forehead.

In all his years of being alive, Kisame had never felt love like he was feeling for her now. Not only had she admitted her love to him, but she also kissed him on her _own_ accord! Without him making the first move! With newly kindled spirits, the man pulled the small girl in and kissed her lips. Immediately she relaxed against him and returned the favor. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her in closer until they parted lips and just hugged. He buried his face into the crook of her neck and inhaled the scent of shampoo and soap that clung to her body.

With a deep breath, the blue S-ranked criminal told her what he had been feeling for so long. "I love you, Dariru."

The girl pulled out of the hug slowly so she could look at his face. "W-what?"

A large hand cupped her cheek and he repeated, "I love you. I've loved you for a while but…I didn't know how—"

His speech was cut off by her lips kissing his. An animalistic growl rumbled in his chest when he felt her little tongue dart across his lips. He opened his mouth willingly and they both explored each other's mouths, each one memorizing the other. The girl was pushed back onto the soft cushioning of the bed with the blue man still on top, ravishing her mouth with his. Both Dariru and Kisame felt the passion rising inside of their bodies once more, and both of them wanted nothing more than to show each other that passion again right now.

The faint sound of voices from the hall told Kisame that this would have to be quick. It made him grin inwardly when he felt the girl begin to spread her legs for him to get between. He brushed away the rest of the bath towel before he began to kiss at her collarbone, making the girl beneath whimper in need.

"Kisame…" she breathed, "Hurry…I hear o-others." Had they not been on a bit of a time limit, Kisame would have teased her until she was practically begging for release; but they were, and so he pushed away his boxers and quickly buried his hardness into her hot damp core.

She gasped at the feeling of being filled by him and ignored the numb pain that still lingered from last night once he began a steady pace.

"Mmm..." she moaned once he started to pound harder; it felt so much nicer than when he was going slow and easy. A very comfortable heat began to rise within her when his pace quickened. "Kisame!" She moaned out, feeling the heat raising more and more with every thrust.

The man licked her earlobe and groaned out, "I love you…Nnn!" One of his hands gripped hers as they both climaxed together. For a moment they just lied there, mingled contently with the other. Nothing could possibly ruin this moment.

"Kisame," Itachi's voice filled their silence from the other side of the door, "hurry up and let the girl out. Tobi's about to get his head blown up if she doesn't get out here."

Well, except for that.

The blue man grumbled and pulled out of the girl, "Alright," he hollered just enough for his partner to hear, "I'll be a while. Still gotta bathe." The silence at the other end of the door meant the Uchiha had heard him. Kisame made his way to the bathroom and gathered the girl's clothes. He handed them to her and spoke apologetically, "Sorry this is a total screw-and-run."

"It's alright," She held onto her clothes and began to walk away from the bathroom, "Other things must be done first before the fun can begin."

A mischievous grin grew on his face as he watched the girl begin to put on her underwear, "Was that a foreshadowing for tonight?"

She looked over her shoulder with a sly smile, "I have no idea what you're talking about," she jest, "Now stop watching me dress and take a shower, pervert." He laughed at her comment before he closed the bathroom door reluctantly. "Kisame?" she called out.

"Yeah?"

"Does there happen to be a washing machine in this base?"

"Yep," he turned the shower knob for hot water, "It's at the very end of the living hall.

"Okay. Thank you!" Dariru gathered up the sheets and walked out the door. The girl felt naked without her leggings, but she figured if they were going to have more fun tonight then she might as well make it easier for him. She went to the end of the hall and saw two slightly dirty machines set against the rocky wall. It was a no wonder she never noticed them before, barely anyone used them. The girl opened the washing machine and stuffed the bloody sheets in.

When she started looking for soap, someone jumped on her from behind, wrapping their legs around her waist and arms around her neck. She shrieked in surprise and had to push against the machine to keep her balance. "Dariru-kuuun!" Tobi squealed happily, tightening his grip on her and rubbing his masked face against her head. "Tobi missed you yesterday! What happened? Did Kisame-san hurt you?"

"N-no, Tobi," she choked out, trying to push the energetic boy off of her, "Nothing bad happened. Now, please get off of me." The boy did as he was told, allowing the girl to breathe properly.

It was when she caught her breath did the boy point out, "Dariru-kun, what happened to your lip?"

She touched her lips and felt they were scabbed over as a result of Kisame biting them last night. A blush overtook her cheeks and she stammered, "Oh! Um…I-I must have bitten my lip when I was a-asleep! Th-that's all!"

"Oh, okay." He chirped and began to pull at her arm, "C'mon! Let's go, let's go!"

"H-hold on Tobi," she finally found the soap and started to put some in the machine, "Almost done." The dirty contraption began its job when the door closed, "Alright, let's go."

The boy exclaimed his happiness, pulled her by her arm and led her to wherever his mind was set on.

* * *

Konan made her way to the old washing machine. No one really used it, mostly to avoid Kakuzu's complaining, but she really needed it today. Pein had decided to give her a night like no other, which usually involved her in leather and him abusing every hole he could stick his dick in. It was great sex; however it was the pain afterwards that she always loathed. And the fact that she would have to do the laundry while he "works" really ticked her off. It was the rusty whirring sound of the washing machine that surprised the blue-haired woman. Who else had decided to do their laundry?

Out of curiosity, the woman stopped the machine and opened the door to pull out the contents inside. They were bed sheets with one large blood stain in the middle. At first she thought they were Hidan's, but that man was too arrogant to do his own laundry and there wasn't enough blood on the fabric. Her mind began to sort through all the possible owners:

Itachi? No, he's too careful to get any stains on his belongings. Tobi wouldn't have bloody sheets; jelly, yes. Blood, no. These sheets didn't look cheap, which mean they weren't Kakuzu's. She was quite sure Deidara had no idea what "clean" meant and Sasori didn't sleep, so he had no need for bed sheets. The only one left was Kisame…but the stain was too small for it to be from Samehada.

Realization hit her like a ton of bricks.

The woman threw the man's sheets back in the machine and it resumed its cleaning while her own laundry rested on top of the thing. Without warning, Konan ran down the living hall in search of the short-haired girl who had lost her innocence.

* * *

Deidara saw Dariru and Tobi walking towards his general direction. The girl seemed to be walking normally, but there was a bit of a glow about her. What the hell had Kisame done to her last night? The blonde approached the two with a smile and greeted, "Hey One-chan! How's it—woah!" he noticed her scabbed lip and pointed, "What the hell happened to your lip?"

"Dariru-kun bit himself during his sleep," Tobi answered for the girl. At first Deidara thought it was funny that Tobi still believed Dariru was a man, but now it was getting annoying.

Then, the man noticed a mark on her shoulder but it was mostly covered up by the strap of her tank top and bra. "Hey, Dariru-chan," he walked a little closer, trying to see what it was, "what's that on you shoulder?" But the girl didn't need to answer for him to notice it was a bite mark. And the fact that he knew whose mark it was made the man's jaw drop in astonishment. "HE BIT YOU, YEAH!" He hollered, pointing at her shoulder, "That blue-balled bastard, _bit you, hm_!"

It was then that Konan appeared out of nowhere and wrapped her arms around the girl from behind, glaring at Deidara, "Keep your mouth shut blondie!" Pein's woman hissed, "How do you know it wasn't me who bit her?"

" 'Cause Pein would have killed if you were ever with someone else other than him, un," Deidara argued.

"Touché," the woman mumbled before turning her attention to the baffled girl in her arms, "I need to have a little chat with you. In private."

"B-but," Dariru mumbled and pointed at the orange-masked man, "I have to watch Tobi."

"Not anymore," Konan spoke huskily at the blonde man, "Deidara-kun can watch Tobi today." And without another word, the woman pulled the girl away from the two remaining men.

"You can't do that!" Deidara shrieked out in terror, reaching for them as he heard Tobi squeal happily, "Konan-san! One-chan! You can't leave me here with this _peck_, yeah!"

Tobi hugged his favorite blonde's neck and chirped, "Hurray! I get to spend the whole day with Deidara-senpai! This is gonna be fun!"

* * *

Dariru was, literally, dragged to Konan's room where the woman sat her on the soft bed. Konan sat next to her with wide eyes and a big smile. It kind of scared the girl at how happy she looked. "So," the woman sounded like a teenaged girl caught up in the latest gossip, "what was it like?"

"What was what like?"

"Having sex with the shark-man."

The girl's heart skipped a beat and her face flushed. "H-how did you know that?!" She practically shrieked. Had they been too loud? Or had Konan bee watching them? Lord, she hoped not. That'd be very high on the "creepy" list.

"I found Kisame's sheets in the washing machine," the woman admitted, "and they had a blood stain on them. And if I remember correctly," she gave Dariru a sly look, "he took you to his room yesterday."

The heat rose in the girl's cheeks; hell, her face was probably as red as a ripe tomato. Well, there was no use lying to Konan if she already had it figured out. "Yeah…we had, uh…sex."

A small chuckle came from her mouth, "You say the word as if you were still a virgin! Oh well…tell me," she leaned in closer as if afraid she might miss something, "what did it feel like?"

"Like a…penis? I don't know. I never actually touched it."

"Really?" Konan sat up straight, "He just, put in it? No foreplay?"

"Well," she scratched her nose, "he prepared me before he put it in…but that was about it." The woman looked dissatisfied and it made the girl blurt out, "Well it was longer than the speed-fuck we had this morning!"

A big smile decorated Konan's face and her eyes went wide as Dariru covered her mouth with her hands. "You guys fucked _twice _in under twenty-four hours!?" The woman shrieked in shock.

An embarrassed grumble came from Dariru as she spoke, "Yeah. We did, we did."

"Well, just wait 'til you start doing it for hours without stopping," she grinned, "that's when it starts to get _very_ fun." The woman adjusted herself on the bed and regained her composure, "So, tell me what happened. How did you guys go from fighting to fucking?"

"Why should I tell you about that?"

"Because you know I won't stop bothering you until you do."

"Oh yeah…"


	18. Not a real chapter

**Yeah, I know, I hate it when authors do this too but…I believe this is necessary.**

**This story probably won't be updated for a looong time. Why you ask? Well, I'm working on a fan fiction collab with LadyMalignant. Its got her character, Ishiko, in it and it has Dariru too. Here's the plotline that she wrote for the story:**

"_From the creator of 'I Dream of the Ocean and I See Myself Die', and the writer of 'Child Play' comes this epic clash of two romance stories!! Blood Thirsty Me and Lady Malignant team up to create this mixture of humor, romance, blood, and.... pregnancy?! Ishiko's pregnant! What's Kakuzu feel about it? Dariru feels distant from Kisame, and that the only thing the two share is kinky sex! What happens when Suigetsu squeezes himself in that picture?! Jealousy that's what!!"_

**Its already posted on her profile, and it has nine chapters up on it! :D So, go read it! XD Though, you might wanna read LadyMalignant's fanfictions first to understand to the hell Ishiko is and what the hell's going on XD. **

**So please, go read it, leave a review or even favorite it! It'll be very much appreciated! Plus it's what me and her have been working on for the past few weeks XD. So, this story won't be updated for a while…sorry D:.**

**And, I apologize for raising your hopes and then crushing them with this cheap-ass announcement XD.**


	19. A Father's Grief

Chapter Eighteen: A Father's Grief

**Author's Note:**** Holy fucking horse shit Batman! It's been a long time since I've *actually* updated! I'm so sorry to have kept you all hanging. I really do apologize for the false alarm chapter. But I just had nothin' going for this story…until now :D. I mean, after the oinin were killed and Kisame and Dariru finally decided to make the bed squeak, I had no idea what else I wanted to have happen. But I didn't want to end the story either, ya know? But, now I've got it! And there's gonna be a new antagonist :D :3. So excited XD.**

**By the way, be sure to check out the collab fanfiction I'm doing with Lady Malignant. The story is posted on her profile on this website, so you'll have to look there for the story :D. Thanks again for all the reviews, views, favorites and alerts! I really do appreciate them!! **

**And now, please enjoy the REAL chapter eighteen XD.**

* * *

_2 years ago…_

Rain pierced through the thick mist and thumped wildly against the ground, rooftops and people. With all the mist surrounding the shinobi village it looked like one was peering into the clouds, watching the storm begin to unfold. Takeo Daitaro stared out of the window aimlessly, thankful that the Mizukage had relieved him of patrol early. Being the head security of the village's leader was hard work and would drain him completely of both physical and mental energy most days. However, he wasn't complaining about the hardship of the job or of the amount of people who wished to overthrow the Mizukage. On the contrary, he liked the difficulty of the job; in his eyes, everyday made him stronger, wiser. And with the wide variety of people who wished to kill or scam the leader, it forced Daitaro to think _beyond_ the outside of the box. Not to mention that without those traitors he would be out of the job. Sure peace and local agreement was a great thought, but then again so was putting food on the table for his family.

For twenty-five years he had served his village and country by being a shinobi. The years had chiseled his face into one of pure military standard, making people feel intimidated just by his serious stare and perfect posture. Not to mention the small scars that littered his entire body from sibling feuds and actual fights. In those years of shinobi life he had married the woman of his dreams, and after a couple of years, had a little girl with said woman. That little girl meant the world to him, especially when she decided to become a kunoichi. Of course, his wife wasn't too happy about their daughter's career decision. The life of a kunoichi was dangerous and life-threatening; and though his wife showed the fear of their little girl dieing on the battlefield more often and openly, he had felt the same terror too. The terror of a fellow shinobi coming to his doorstep to announce that his child had died frightened Daitaro more than his own death. And though he had wanted so desperately to forbid his child from becoming a killing-machine, he couldn't help but grin at the thought of her succeeding. So, everyday after school he would train her in hand-to-hand combat; making sure that she would know how to thoroughly defend herself should any of her jutsu or weaponry fail her.

But little had Daitaro known, in his years as a shinobi, that he had impressed someone higher up in the food chain. One day, he was confronted by an oinin and was offered a job as one of the Mizukage's bodyguards. Without hesitation, he had accepted. After five years of protecting the Mizukage, the leader decided to bump his rank to head of security for herself and the village. And now, he was here; watching the rain fall through the mist as if he were watching the inside of the clouds.

The door opened and closed quickly, signaling the return of his little girl. "Hi Otou-san!" she greeted before choking him with a hug. "Why're you so home early?"

Daitaro looked at his daughter and shook his head at how fast she had grown over her fifteen years of life. "Mizukage-sama let me leave early."

She quickly nodded and sat in front of him. "Otou-san?"

"Yes?"

"Sensei mentioned something about the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist," she started, "and I was wondering if they were real people?" Daitaro's blood froze at the mention of the village's group of powerful swordsmen. He had worked with one of the Swordsmen before when he was a young shinobi. The Swordsmen had been a powerful asset to the mission, but it was because of that "machine" that Daitaro got a little queasy at the sight of brains.

The father took a deep breath and answered his daughter's question, hoping it would satisfy her curious mind. "Yes, they're real people. But most of them are dead now, so it's hardly worth mentioning."

The girl's face lit up with excitement, "What about the ones that're still alive?"

A small grumble came from the man at his daughter's natural curiosity. Maybe if he told her what he knew about the Seven Swordsmen now, she'd lose interest eventually? "Well, I don't know who, or how many, are still alive. But they're a dangerous lot, Dariru." He warned her with a stern voice, trying to get his message through. "The ones that are still out there are nothing more than criminals and traitors to Kirigakure. If there was a God out there, He would send them all to Hell without a chance of redemption."

Dariru frowned, "That's a little harsh Otou-san. Are they really that bad?"

"Yes!" He said the moment his daughter had finished her sentence, "They've killed their own teammates and have tried many times to overthrow the Mizukage! They are scum, and no good will come out of them except their final breath."

At the time, those words had seemed wise to Daitaro; he had assumed his daughter would abandon the subject after that conversation. Little had he known that it had only sparked her interest in the Seven Swordsmen. For when the girl had left to help her mother with dinner, only one thought ran through her head:

How did the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist become notorious criminals?

* * *

_Current time…_

Takeo Daitaro stood outside, staring aimlessly at the mist that the village had received its name from. There was no way he could express his gratitude to the Mizukage for sending an oinin out to find his daughter. Ever since he had struck his own daughter out of disappointment and rage, guilt had become a companion that never left. And then when she had decided to leave them and the country, it felt as if he had died on the inside; not to mention that his wife had taken it worse than he had. She had even stopped working at her bookstore, which she loved dearly. When he had told his wife what the Mizukage had done for them, she had been so happy that she even went back to her bookstore. But just recently he had received a message that something had happened; something bad. He was told to meet a scout where he was standing now for the news, which the man figured would be too much for his wife to hear from a stranger. It felt like his old fear was coming back again; the fear that he and his wife had so dreadfully felt the moment their daughter became a kunoichi.

Without warning, a young man appeared in front of the older man. Daitaro slowed his beating heart, cursing the mists' thickness for covering up a human being so well. The scout stood up straight, his black uniform stained with some form of liquid that Daitaro had seen as many times as the village's mist.

"Takeo-san?" The boy questioned respectfully. Compared to the scout, Daitaro felt like a giant staring down at a little kid.

"Speaking." He replied, forcing his limbs to stop their nervous shaking while he prayed loudly in his mind to any god out there that his daughter was okay.

"Do you remember the oinin the Mizukage had sent to find your daughter?"

"Yes," He was getting impatient; he just wanted to know about his daughter's current condition. Why did this scout have to tease him so?

"Well, we found him—"

"Did he find my daughter?"

The scout paused as if searching for the right words. "We think he might have," was his response, "but we don't know."

Daitaro clenched his fists, "Then why not ask him? You said you found him, so ask him where my daughter is!" Impatience fed his anger and fear, which made the older man lose his self-control.

"We would," the scout replied through a strained voice as he handed Daitaro a manila envelope, "if he weren't a corpse." Terrified shock froze all of the older man's senses as he stared at the scout dumbfounded. An oinin? _Dead_? How? He knew his daughter had some skill, but surely she wasn't skilled enough to kill an _oinin_. The scout nodded at the envelope in the man's hands, "There are pictures of the scene in here. I think you'll need to take a look."

Daitaro did as he was told, still unable to believe that someone had killed one of Kirigakure's most feared assassins. There were multiple photos, all of them in black and white, and showed the bodies of four men; all of whom were oinin. The man furrowed his brow in confusion at the sight of the four bodies sprawled out on a dirt road. "I thought Mizukage-sama only sent one ?"

"She did. But, I guess the oinin needed help and recruited some of his buddies." It made sense; it was easier to search for something with multiple pairs of eyes. But all four of these men had been killed in the same area. Whoever killed them was quite powerful. Daitaro kept flipping through the photos; most of them zoomed in on the various injuries that the oinin had received in the fight. Two of them had broken necks, one had his skin ripped open as if someone took a giant grater across his body, and the last one had multiple stab wounds in the neck and skull. There was no way his daughter could have done this; this must have been done by someone else.

"Any idea who killed them?" Daitaro asked, his eyes staring at the photo that had all four of the bodies in one shot.

"We have two suspects," the boy answered, "You won't like who they are though."

A deadly glare came from the older man at the comment. "You suspect my daughter killed these oinin?!" There was no way his little girl could have done it. She was loyal to her village; it was just that damn curiosity of hers that got her into trouble. The old saying about the cat and curiosity popped into the man's head uncomfortably.

"We think she only killed one." He took the picture of the boy with the multiple stab wounds. "See how many wounds he has in the neck and head?" Daitaro nodded, "It's a completely different kill-style from the other three. The person who killed this kid was frantic and unprofessional about it. While the one who killed the other three did it like they had done it before." Even though every fiber in his body refused to believe his daughter may have killed the younger oinin, the older man couldn't help but agree with the scout's reasoning. He remembered his first kill and at how nervous he had been; he had even removed the head from the corpse just to make sure his opponent would stay dead.

Daitaro tried to swallow the lump that had lodged itself in his throat. "And…the second suspect?"

The scout looked around as if afraid of being overheard by a passerby. "We think the second murderer is Hoshigaki Kisame."

The photos scrunched and crumpled inside of the man's clenched fists. "_What?_"

A sudden nervousness overcame the younger man as he tried to pry open Daitaro's fingers open. "Well…the large oinin looks like his skin had been shredded open, right?" When he got the needed picture out of the man's grip, he pointed at the various wounds and shredded muscle. "It wasn't caused by slow torture since the wounds seemed to have been received all at the same time or within the same time frame." He pointed to the similarities in the rotting flesh. "That means a weapon inflicted those wounds. And there's only one weapon that shreds instead of cuts."

"Samehada…" Daitaro finished.

A nod of confirmation came from the scout, "And there's only one person who can wield that sword."

Shame, fear, anger, and happiness all swelled within the old man's body. He was ecstatic that his daughter was still alive, but was ashamed that she had probably killed an oinin. But he tried to reassure himself; maybe that blue demon forced her to kill the oinin. There was just no way his little girl could have killed someone out of her free will. But he was fearful for her safety if she was in the presence of the monster. Rage made his blood boil at the possible reasons as to why the walking disgrace might be keeping his daughter alive. All of the emotions tormented Daitaro to the point where he shoved the photographs in the scout's chest and stormed back home.

His calloused hand covered his eyes and his old wrists began to shake from all the strain the news had put on him. "How am I going to tell Atsuko…?" The old man could only imagine how his wife would react to the news of their daughter. Though he wanted nothing more than to keep the truth from her, it was best if he told her the moment he saw her. The news would probably send the woman into a depression again, but at least she wouldn't be furious at him for keeping the truth hidden.

As he made his way home, Takeo Daitaro couldn't help but wonder how his daughter was coping with being the hostage of a monstrous criminal…

* * *

"Are we there yet?" Dariru asked, knowing the question was going to get on Kisame's nerves. The multi-layered blindfold covered the world from her eyes and made walking feel dangerous; as if she would slip and fall off an unseen cliff. She had to hold onto the man's cloak to reassure her every step was safe and secure. The reason as to why she was wearing a blindfold was because the leader had told the whole organization to relocate to a base further south. She wasn't told which country the base was in, and apparently, the leader also demanded that she wear a blindfold during the entire journey to the base if Kisame still wanted her to stay with him.

"I swear," he chuckled, looking down at the blindfolded girl, "if you ask that again I'm going to shut you up." The blue man did his best not to take long strides as to not make her lose her nervous footing. They were almost to their destination, just a couple more days to go at their current pace, but he wasn't sure if he could wait until they got to the new location. It had been over three months since they had first had sex, and their relationship had just gotten better from there. Though they did their best to keep their current status hidden from some of the other members, such as Hidan and Tobi, Kisame wasn't afraid to say that they were happy together. Sure it had been a little weird at first, since he had never really been in an actual relationship, but he had gotten the hang of it after a while. One thing he found interesting, and exciting, about the entire thing was that she wouldn't mind having sex with him practically every night. He had made sure to pull out when she told him to, but they both seemed to enjoy it more when he released his seed anywhere inside of her.

_I can't wait to have her help me break in the new bed, _The blue man grinned, knowing she wouldn't be able to see it.

A sly smile appeared on her face at his comment, "Really now?" the tiny hand that was on his cloak slid down to his hand. "And how do you plan to shut me up?"

The grin on his face grew wider and he squeezed her hand gently, "Keep asking that annoying question and you might just find out." He was half-expecting her to say "are we there yet" again, but the girl just kept quiet as they continued walking along the road. So far they hadn't run into any trouble; then again, Kisame was doing his best to avoid crowded roads and towns. It would be a little strange to people if they saw a man like him with a blindfolded young girl.

The girl let out a loud sigh before asking quickly, "Are we there yet?" Kisame chuckled and shook his head, digging into his pocket with his free hand, and pulled out a spare blindfold. He stepped in front of her and released her hand, making her stop and blindly look up at him. Very slowly the man leaned down, inching closer to her waiting lips. He made sure she could feel his breath on her lips, hoping they would part. The girl's lips parted, expecting him to kiss her, but instead the blue man shoved the spare blindfold into her mouth. Her surprise was muffled out by the object in her mouth, which turned into slightly annoyed muffles as Kisame laughed at what he had done.

"I told you I'd shut you up," he reminded her before kissing the corner of her mouth. Dariru grumbled, which sounded like a growl with the blindfold stuffed in her mouth, and grabbed the edge of his sleeve with her fingers. The two walked in silence for a long time, and Kisame tried to search her face for any signs of discomfort, but the task proved difficult without being able to see her eyes and the gag in her mouth refused to let her smile or frown. So he tried the verbal route, "Are you okay?"

She nodded her head and pulled the gag out before staring at the piece of dark fabric. "You know, the gag thing would've been a good idea if my hands were tied." She shoved the slightly wet fabric into her pocket half-heartedly.

"Perhaps…but I don't think binding your hands would help you at all with that blindfold on." It was true that her balance seemed to be off without the use of her eyes. Her every step was cautious and uncertain, even when she was clinging onto him for reassurance. Adding a bind to her hands would just throw her off even more. Perhaps he'd tie her later when they stopped for the night? _I can't have her running away on me during the night, _he grinned wickedly to himself, leading the blind girl forward.

"I've always been wanting to ask you something," Dariru said after a moment of silence.

"Okay. Shoot."

"What's your favorite color?"

He scoffed, "Anything that's not blue."

Her brow creased in curiosity, "Really? Why?"

"Well…" he started, "I see it every freakin' day on my whole body. It gets old to look at after a few years."

The girl bumped into him on purpose, brushing her hip against his, "I don't mind looking at your skin all day."

"I should hope so," he chuckled, shifting his arm to wrap around her waist. She adjusted her steps and was soon walking beside him, her hand clinging onto the back of his cloak.

* * *

"I'm home," Daitaro mumbled, hoping his wife wouldn't approach him with an expectant smile. He wasn't sure if he could bear seeing her happy face disappear into a frown because of the news he had. Right now, he just wanted to think of a way to find his daughter in peace. Just as he began to shuffle slowly towards his study room, his wife peeked around the corner and rushed to him. Her shoulder-length hair was beginning to gray, but the trips to the hair-stylist always ensured that her hair would regain its light brown color once again for a few months. The corners of her face were starting to sag, and her once small frame was beginning to grow with the slowing of her metabolism and the lack of proper exercise. But Daitaro barely noticed any of her aging; to him, she was still the same young woman he had met and married years ago.

Atsuko wore a dull pink and purple shirt, with different variations of patterns decorated on it, and black dress pants. A hopeful smile was plastered on her face and her eyes searched for the missing member of their family. Her brow furrowed when she couldn't find any signs of her daughter, "Where's Dariru? I thought the scout had her?"

"The scout had _news_ of her," Daitaro explained calmly and sadly, "Dariru's still missing." The happiness on her face shifted into concern and sadness. She closed her eyes tightly, trying to hold back the disappointed tears that threatened to fall. Daitaro bit his lower lip nervously and managed to choke out, "There's more."

His wife looked up at him in terror, "Oh God…is she dead?"

"No," he sighed, "No…she's not dead." The woman sighed in relief, her hand hovering over her chest as if to still her heart. "She's alive, but she's with…someone…someone bad."

Brown eyes widen at stared at his blue and green ones. "Who?" she managed to ask; she sounded as if she didn't want to even ask.

"Hoshigaki Kisame."

At first her mouth just hung open, her body unable to do anything else. Then she slumped against the wall and slid down, the news adding too much weight to her mind and body. "Good Lord…" she breathed terrified, her eyes still wide. "And you're sure she's still alive with that thing?"

He nodded, "Yes…and I think he forced her to kill the oinin who was looking for her." After explaining what he saw in the photographs the scout had shown him, Daitaro stood in silence. Atsuko covered her mouth with her hand in thought, a stray tear rolling off her bottom eyelid. She sniffled and removed her hand, taking in deep breaths to calm herself.

"We have to find her," she stated, "I don't care how we do it, but we've gotta." She looked up at him with a determined glare, "Get permission from the Mizukage to leave the country and find out where they found those bodies!" A smile tugged at the corners of Daitaro's mouth. His wife may be a typical woman, but when she wanted to get something done she would focus only on the task at hand. Daitaro nodded; hope beginning to swell inside of him at his wife's determination. They'd find their daughter, and they'd save her from that monster.


	20. Permission Granted

Chapter Nineteen: Permission Granted

* * *

**Author's Note:**** Hehe, again it takes me FOREVER to update this story XD. Sorry guys...honestly? No excuse this time. I've just been focusing more on the collab story I'm doing with LadyMalignant and playing video games. *Shrug* Oh well...hopefully, this chapter, and the next one, will make it up to you ;). Lots of pr0nz lol. **

**Thank you guys so very much for ALL of your encouraging reviews!!! It really makes me happy that this story is loved, even if you are reading it just for the sexy-time parts ;D. And, of course, thanks for all of the favorites, alerts, and the C2 thingy...not too sure what that means exactly, but I can tell it's good :D. **

**Without further interruption, please enjoy this chapter of "I Dream of the Ocean and I See Myself Die". **

…

**I need to shorten that title....**

* * *

Dariru sat still, her bare knees digging into the blades of grass, waiting patiently for her companion to return. The blindfold was still on and she did not dare to take it of. From what little she had seen and heard of the Akatsuki's pierced leader, she knew he was a man no one should ever disobey. Even if he was miles away, she felt like those gray ringed eyes of his were watching her every move; waiting for one slip-up to use as an excuse to terminate her existence. If that man wanted her dead, she would be with a mere snap of his fingers.

Night had overcome the tiny cluster of trees she was among. Crickets had begun to chirp harmoniously with one another and the temperature had dropped a few degrees. A cold shiver coursed through her body, making her wish she had something with long sleeves. Then again, she wouldn't mind getting close to her blue companion to keep warm either. The thought of his body pressing against her made Dariru grin mischievously. She could never get enough of that man; it never surprised her when she got excited from their constant close contact.

Sandals stepped on the ground, advancing closer to the blindfolded girl. "I'm back," the familiar voice of Kisame sounded as he dropped varying sizes of logs and twigs. Dariru let herself smile, listening to pieces of wood clanking against one another as he began to set them up for a fire. When the fire was large enough to grow on its own, Kisame sat down, leaning his back against a tree before grabbing onto Dariru's outstretched hand. He pulled her toward him, making sure she was sitting comfortably between his legs and against his chest. Even though the fire was giving off a comforting amount of heat, the blue man found that he preferred the girl's natural warmth.

"I'm sorry I couldn't help you gather wood," She said after she was in a comfortable position.

The blue man lightly tapped the top of her head with his fist, "How many times do I have to tell you to stop apologizing for things that aren't your fault?" There was only one thing about her that annoyed him, and that was when she apologized for things that did not require an apology. He knew she was only being polite, but it just made her seem so meek.

She smiled wide and said, "Sorry," before bursting out in laughter when the man behind her grabbed her sides and began to attack her sensitive spots.

They sat in silence for a long time after that, staring at the fire and just enjoying each others presence. After a while, Dariru asked, "How much longer 'til we get to the base?" She cocked her head slightly to one side to rest against his arm.

Kisame shrugged before answering, "A couple more days." He made sure he was keeping her close, encircling her tiny body with his large arms. The slight pressure she was putting against his chest and groin felt nice; especially when she decided to shift ever so slightly. As she kept shifting her body around, he wondered if she was doing it on purpose or was just uncomfortable sitting on the earth's floor. Either way, it was starting to make his hormones run faster and he couldn't help but dip his head down to nip at her neck.

A small sigh escaped her as she tilted her head to the side, exposing more of the skin to his working mouth. It made him glad that she was always so willing to do whatever he wanted with her; he had heard stories of women being against the idea of having sex every time they were with their man. However, if one day Dariru were too tired or just did not want to have sex with him, he would comply with her wish. Just being with the one person he really loved was more than what the blue could ever ask for.

She turned her head towards him and began to kiss his face blindly; pink lips pressed against his eyebrow first before they made their way slowly down to his jawline. Kisame lifted her chin up just enough for him to crash his mouth over hers. His entire body was starting to get excited with their nightly activity, and it just grew when she shifted her body so that she was facing him. Dariru was beginning to get excited too, noticing the heat pulsing damply against her underwear. The moment he bit into her bottom lip, blood began to trickle down to her chin, which the blue man lapped up quickly with his tongue. The girl hadn't noticed she had been grinding against him until he had left a trail of butterfly kisses to her neck as one of his calloused hands roamed up her shirt. It always drove her crazy with lust when he was rough on her, and the blindfold just seemed to heighten the rest of her senses.

Without warning, Kisame pinched one of her nipples through her thin bra, making Dariru squirm and gasp with delight. It was amusing to watch this tiny girl go crazy because of what he was doing to her. He may have been a bit sadistic at times, but every time he had tried to be gentle on her it just wasn't as exciting for either of them. He was rough on her and she was rough enough to still be the uke in the relationship. The familiar taste of metallic liquid greeted his tongue when he broke the skin on her shoulder, which rewarded his ears another moan from her throat. Blood was a big turn on for her; she hated the pain, he had found that out from experience, but once her eyes saw the crimson liquid it was just the beginning.

Dariru leaned against him after he had taken her tank-top off and was beginning to undo the strap of her bra. Her hands began to unbutton his cloak quickly and easily from the numerous times she had had to remove it. After he had shrugged the cloak off and had started to grope at one of her small breasts, the next item of clothing the girl decided to remove was his belt. The burning dampness between her legs was just growing hotter to the point where she couldn't wait anymore. She knew what the man would feel like inside of her and she knew it would be bliss to have his dick pounding her insides. Kisame seemed to have understood and made quick work of pushing down her shorts and underwear. Before she could even unzip his pants, the man began to rub his fingers teasingly across her wet pussy. Every time his fingers ran over her clitoris and teased her waiting hole, she let out moans that were more like pleads for more activity between the two of them.

With shaky hands, Dariru was finally able to blindly throw his belt aside and unzip his pants. She didn't want to wait any longer, even if it meant doing most of the work; she wanted him inside of her now! Kisame stopped his teasing and kissed her mouth fervently, shoving his tongue inside of her without any warning. Though the strain in his pants was becoming unbearable, he liked it when he had the chance to tease her. It was interesting to see how far she was willing to go just so his cock could be inside of her hot womanhood. Then again, he would often lose control of himself most of the time and would be on top of her before she could truly try anything.

Tonight, though, would not be one of those nights. When he left her mouth to lick at her small breasts, the girl's hands began to push away the fabric of his boxers blindly and gently before they pulled out his hard erection. The feeling of her fingers wrapped around his length made Kisame shiver and groan into her chest with delight. He sat up straight when he felt her move her legs to either side of his hips. She lifted herself up and he helped guide her down to his tip before letting his hands rest on her more defined curves. Had she not wear such baggy clothes all the time then many people, other than himself, would find that she had quite an attractive body. Then again, he wouldn't want anyone else staring at his woman with lust-filled gazes...if they did, Kisame wouldn't hesitate in gouging their eyeballs out with his bare hands.

The blue man was torn from his thoughts when he felt his dick being surrounded by a tight, damp hotness that was the core of Dariru. A small gasp escaped him in time with her moaning as she kept lowering her body, forcing more of him into her. She didn't stop until it was all the way in, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck for support just as his were wrapped around her waist. This was the first time they had started out with her on top...sort of; but she knew what she had to do. Very slowly, she rose up and then brought herself back down, her mouth agape in a silent pleasurable mewl at the friction they were causing. At first Kisame allowed her to do all of the work, breathing heavily as he felt the tension within him grow and at the tightening of her moist walls. It was when he lost his self-control that his large hands grasped her hips and started moving her up and down faster.

"Ahn! A-ah!" Dariru moaned out before hiding her face into the crook of his neck, her hips trying to keep up with the pace his hands were setting. She could feel him getting deeper inside of her, hitting the spot that made her entire body tingle with ecstasy every time he brought her hips down on himself. "Ki-Kisa-AAH!" She moaned out loudly when her lover decided to ram himself into her harder than before. It slowed their pace, but it felt so much better than going fast. Sweat trailed down every part of her, and she could see the sweat staining his shirt.

His teeth tugged at her earlobe before he panted, "In...or out?" Though he would much rather release his seed inside of her, they both knew it would be too much trouble for the both of them if he got her pregnant.

It took her a while to finally form coherent speech. "Ah-out. Mmmh!" She tightened her grip around him and even decided to bite down on the fabric of his shirt. "Kisame! Kisame!" She managed to say before letting out a long moan. He felt her walls clench as her orgasm washed over her, making him stop his thrusting to keep himself from cumming inside of her.

He pushed her up and immediately covered the tip of his now wet cock with his hand. Before he knew it, he came into the palm of his hand, the creamy white semen feeling thick and sticky. He looked at his hand with disgust wiped it off on the side of the tree before rubbing the rest into the dirt. The girl waited patiently as he put his limp member back in his pants and zipped them up. The moment she heard his belt being secured, Dariru leaned against his chest, resting her head on his shoulder. She felt much better now that he had helped her with release. And to be so close to him afterward was one of the best parts.

Kisame grabbed his Akatsuki cloak and placed it over her naked body. They could gather her clothes in the morning. He felt her soft and rhythmic breath against his neck before hearing her whisper, "I love you." Ever since their first time having sex, she would always mutter those three words every time they had finished. Most men would probably have found it annoying, but with the low self-esteem Kisame had, he found her little signature reassuring.

"I love you too," He muttered back before placing a kiss on the top of her head, still able to smell the scented shampoo that she had used, even though neither of them have had a proper bath for quite a few days. She smiled at his words and soon the girl was asleep. Kisame watched her sleep for a while, making sure she wouldn't have a nightmare, before trying to fall asleep himself.

* * *

Daitaro was on his hands and knees, bowing so low in front of the Mizukage that his forehead touched the floor. "Mizukage-sama," the man started, making sure he was loud enough to be heard by the powerful woman. "I have been a faithful soldier and your loyal guard for many years. So now, I beg of you, let my wife and I leave the country in order to search for our daughter!" he didn't dare to lift his head, but he knew she was staring down at him, considering the decision that may save his little girl's life.

Sandals clicked against the hardwood floor of the office before he heard her sitting down. There was silence for a long time before she spoke, "Stand up Takeo-san." Without hesitation he obeyed, his back straight, feet shoulder-width apart and hands clasped behind his back. The Mizukage's hair hovered around her face as she stared at him with cold calculating eyes. Of all the people in the world Daitaro feared, she was one of them; and not just because of her rank, but of her skills as a kunoichi. "You have always spoken so proudly of your daughter, Takeo-san," the woman started. "You claim that she is loyal to Kirigakure, and yet she has ran away and has not yet returned even after being gone for almost _two years_. Do you realize this?"

With a stiff nod, Daitaro replied, "Yes ma'am. I do."

She sighed slowly as if in deep thought. "I know that Hoshigaki Kisame is possibly accompanying her," her voice had a tone of sympathy in it, "and I can only imagine what you fear he is forcing her to do. But anyone who runs away from home always has a reason." She leaned forward, resting her chin in the palm of her hand before giving her loyal guard a cold look. "So tell me Takeo-san. Why did your daughter run away?"

Daitaro had feared this question more than anything. If he told the Mizukage his daughter had done illegal research on the Seven Swordsmen, she would surely decline his offer. But he couldn't stand lying to the Mizukage about anything. Not to mention that if he didn't tell her what Dariru had been doing and then, some way, the Mizukage finds out on her own...! Daitaro wasn't sure who would be in more trouble: Himself or his daughter.

With a deep breath he managed to say, "She ran away because I had hit her, Mizukage-sama."

The woman raised an eyebrow, "Why did you hit her?" Her tone was not one of bewildered astonishment, but of curiosity.

"Because..." he sighed and looked down at the floor in shame. "Because she would not stop doing research on the previous Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, Mizukage-sama." The scene replayed in his head as silence overtook the room.

* * *

_One year and four months ago..._

"Dariru," Daitaro approached his daughter with an old scroll bunched up in his hand. "Where did you get this scroll?"

His sixteen year-old daughter did not look up from her book when she replied, "Which one?" Anger fumed through his body as he slapped the parchment onto her desk. He knew what knowledge the scroll contained, and it appalled him when he had found it shoved in the back of a pile of books the young girl had brought home from her mother's bookstore.

Dariru jumped at the violent action before going wide-eyed at the sight of the familiar scroll. Quickly, her hands snatched it and began to unroll its wrinkled parchment, trying to smooth out its creases in a feeble attempt to preserve the information written on it. "How did you find this? Were you going through my things!?" The girl shrieked at him in disgust, as if her privacy were the most sacred thing other than the scroll she was now rolling gently back up.

"Yes," Daitaro admitted, "because I wanted to read one of the books you had brought home. Now tell me the truth!" He leaned forward, his face heating up with rage, "Where did you get that scroll!?" At the sound of anger, his daughter shrunk back into her chair, looking away from him fearfully. He did not feel guilty for making her feel scared; on the contrary, he felt proud that she was afraid of him. It meant he had authority over her and that she knew she was in trouble. When she did not answer, he slammed his hand on her desk, making a few stray pencils and pens clatter to the floor. "WHERE DID YOU GET THAT SCROLL!?"

Again she flinched away from him before licking her lips nervously. "I...I took it...from the oinin library, in the old dusty area."

Pure anger and shame coursed through Daitaro's body at his daughter's confession. He stood up straight and took a deep breath to try to calm himself. "What else have you taken?"

A pause before she answered quietly, "Books...anything containing information about the Seven Swordsmen..."

"How many times have I told you..." His voice was leveled with anger before it rose to a scream, "TO KEEP AWAY FROM THOSE MONSTERS!?" Without warning, the father lifted his hand and slapped his daughter across the face. She did not gasp or make any noise when his palm struck her skin. A large red blotch started to form on the left side of her face, standing out against her semi-pale skin. Daitaro stood in silence, guilt beginning to grip at his gut at what he had done. He had never struck out at his daughter unless it was for pure training purposes. What he had just done was plain abuse, and it sickened him. But if that was what was required to get it through her head that she should not be doing illegal research, then so be it.

"Go away..." Dariru pleaded, doing her best to fight back the tears. When her father did not budge, she turned on him, "GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!" Her sudden cry jolted Daitaro from his thoughts and he left his daughter's room, slamming the door shut as if to say he was still mad. Without thinking, the girl began to gather the books and scrolls she had stolen, stacking them in a neat pile on her desk. It was then that the girl had decided to leave in search of the infamous Swordsmen.

* * *

The Mizukage closed her eyes in deep thought. Daitaro had been standing still for several minutes, but he did not move or speak up. He was lucky she did not say "no" the moment he had told her what his daughter had been researching.

"Well," The Mizukage finally spoke up, "she's found one of the Swordsmen."

Daitaro tried to swallow the lump that formed in his throat. "Yes..."

"I think her mind is back to reality." The woman continued, "She may have had a perfect fantasy on when and how she would meet up with any of the Swordsmen. Now that she _is _in the company of one, she's probably realizing what it was you trying to warn her about."

Hope flickered like a candle refusing to go out inside of Daitaro's stomach. "Mizukage-sama...are you giving my wife and I permission to go find our daughter?"

The kunoichi held up a finger, "_Only_ your wife. I will make sure she is accompanied by highly-trained shinobi during her travels. However, as punishment for not telling me of this illegal research sooner, you're going to stay in the village. You will not leave the village gates, unless I give you permission." She glared at the guard dangerously, "If you try to leave Kirigakure, I will personally hunt you down and gut you like a pig! Do I make myself clear?"

Takeo Daitaro bowed deeply to his leader before exclaiming, "I understand Mizukage-sama!"

* * *

"We're almost there," Kisame grinned at the sight of the new base's location. They were in a large forest, but he knew most of it was a genjutsu. It was Pein's new way of hiding the organization's bases without leaving man-made evidence in a natural setting like the previous base had done. The genjutsu itself was cloaked so that anyone trying to find the base's location would not recognize the presence of a genjutsu immediately. To intruders, it would just feel like a bunch of mosquitoes were buzzing around the air instead of the heavy pressure of a powerful illusion.

A relieved sigh came from Dariru, "Good. 'Cause I'm really starting to hate this blindfold with a firey passion." The black fabrics had begun to make her skin itch so much that she wanted nothing more than to rip it from her head and damn the pierced man who had forced her to wear it.

Her irritation made the blue man grin even more before he pulled her closer to him. "I can't wait to finally sleep in a bed," he said, leading her further into the forest, keeping his eyes out for the landmark.

The girl did not catch the double-meaning in his sentence. "I thought you'd be used to sleeping outdoors by now?" Kisame couldn't help but chuckle at her ignorance. Perhaps it was exhaustion that was making her a little slow.

"Sleep is not the only thing I can't wait to do in a bed," He murmured huskily into her ear, feeling her body shiver against him.

The girl had caught on and could not stop the smile that began to spread across her face. "Really?" she questioned out of humor, feeling him push her gently backwards until her back bumped against a tree. "And what else is it you want to do? Jump on the bed?" It was obvious she was playing ignorant on purpose, and it just made the blue man chuckle even more.

"I guess you could say that..." He mumbled before placing a small kiss on her lips. Dariru pulled him back to her for a deeper kiss, to which he happily complied. However, the sound of someone approaching made the blue man pull away quickly, leaving Dariru baffled by his suddenness. He took a few steps away from her, patting her shoulder reassuringly. "Stay there," he whispered before walking out of reach of the girl.

The walking patterns were becoming more distinct as they came closer. One of them was large and sluggish, while the other was small but moving at a leisurely pace. Soon, Kisame recognized the two approaching figures as Sasori and Deidara. He let out a silent sigh of relief and did not flinch when the blonde and scorpion puppet emerged into view.

Deidara saw the blue man and blinded girl first. "Hey, Kisame-donna!" He waved at the older man as he began to guide Dariru towards the two familiar Akatsuki members. With an immature giggle, the blonde man pointed at the joined hands of the two secret lovers. "Aw, has he been holding your hand this whole time One-chan? What a gentleman!" Sasori grumbled in annoyance at his partner's lack of maturity.

Dariru smiled inwardly. _Oh, he's been doing a lot more than just holding my hand..._she said to herself, now eager to get into the base as much as Kisame was. "Yes, he has," the girl responded in complete seriousness. "In fact, I'm glad he was the one who had to help me out. There's no way I'd ever trust my welfare with you Deidara-nii-san."

The blonde crossed his arms and stuck his tongue out at both the blue man and girl. "Well now, aren't you just a sweet little girl? Complimenting him and insulting me at the same time." It was a sarcastic comment, but Kisame couldn't help but smirk.

"There it is," Sasori grumbled in his low voice, nodding his head towards a large shrubbery. "That's where the base is hidden." The four walked quickly and quietly towards the green bush, the three men breaking the illusion enough to see a patch of grass behind the shrubbery begin to disappear. Right in front of them, where the grass had once been, was the heavy steel hatch that would lead them down into their new base. Their new home.

Deidara crouched down and opened the great metal lid, revealing a flight of stairs going down into the darkness. He stared up at Kisame with a mischievous glint in his blue eye. "Ladies first," he said, moving out of the way to let the blue man and his blinded companion through.


	21. Cat Out of the Bag

Chapter Twenty: Cat Out of the Bag

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**Author's Note:**** Okay guys...this may be the last update you'll get for a long while. I just learned that my dad wants to divorce my mom and it's really hard on me. And right now I just wanna not do anything. So, please enjoy this chapter; I tried to make it funny. Also, thank you all for the reviews, views, favorites, and alerts. I really do appreciate them :)**

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The last base Dariru had been in had been carved from the stone of a cave. There had been barely any forms of décor and furniture unless one went inside the members' rooms or the kitchen. Its lack of heating and air conditioning had made the place either too hot or too cold for anyone to get properly acclimated to. There had even been a lack of artificial lights, but that was something anyone could get used to; however, it had made the place seem more bleak and dreary. When she was told she could take the blindfold off, the girl was half-expecting the same sort of environment and so were the men.

Boy were they wrong...

Pein had invested a lot of money to this base. Instead of uneven stone walls and floors, there were nicely polished wooden floors and even earth-toned painted walls. Compared the outside world, the temperature was very comfortable, and there were even _good _light bulbs installed in the ceiling. There was more furniture strewn about the room they were standing in and it all looked very comfortable. But just like the old base, there were three hallways at the opposite end of the room. But to their right was another hallway, which Dariru could only assume had something new at the end of it.

The first words that came out of Deidara's mouth were the words that were on everyone's mind. "Kakuzu's gonna be piiiiissed, hm."

Sasori wandered to the far end of the room in order to get out of his giant puppet. Deidara ran down the hallway that was to their right, wanting as much as Dariru to see where it lead. Though she wanted to explore the new base, she also wanted to stay close to Kisame. If the base was new then surely there were more surprises in store other than modernized decorating. It would be best to get lost with someone she trusted and wouldn't mind getting lost with.

Deidara came running back from the hall and skidded to a stop right in front of the two. An excited smile was plastered on his face. "You guys have got to check this out, yeah!" He pointed back down the hall, "We've got a training room!" Without waiting, the blonde man rushed down the illuminated hall, forgetting all about the people he had invited to join him.

Kisame shrugged and said, "Might as well check it out now." _He might leave us alone if we do..._the man added as he and Dariru followed the excited blonde man. At the end of the hall was an open door, revealing a small preview of what the room contained. So far the couple only saw red mats placed all over the floor and even against the walls like some strange insane asylum. The thought of Pein installing a cushioned room in the Akatsuki base made Dariru wonder if this was really something more for Tobi than the rest of the organization's members.

When they entered, her theory was proven wrong. There were multiple punching bags of varying size and color hanging from the ceiling by their heavy chains. Weights were lined up neatly against the wall and there was even a large portion of the room left empty, giving enough room for anyone who wished to practice their forms or meditate. A large variety of weapons were on a rack against the red cushioned wall, immediately drawing Kisame's attention. He pulled a long sword from its holding and examined it expertly. Dariru watched him as he ran a hand across the blade like one would pet a cat. She noticed the excitement in his eyes dwindle away to disappointment; there must have been something wrong with the blade.

Kisame turned to Deidara, who was to busy picking up the various weights, testing to see how much weight he could pick up without much of a strain. "Hey, Deidara!" The blue man called out to the blonde, who looked up just in time to see the sword flying through the air towards him. With a startled cry, the young man ducked and the sword's blade bent inward from the contact of the cushioned wall before it fell to the floor. Dariru's hands had flown up to her mouth when she had seen the sword fly, but then her brow furrowed in confusion. The sword should have pierced through the cushioning, not bend. It didn't take her long to realize the weapon was fake.

Of course, Deidara was too busy trying to calm his racing heart to notice the blade was harmless. "What the fucking hell, un!?" He hollered at the grinning blue man, "I could have DIED you know, yeah!? If I died, hm, Pein-sama would kick your ass, un!"

"I don't think he would," Kisame replied, unable to stop the growing grin on his face as he showed off his pointed teeth. "Scold me? Yes. Kill me? Not so much." The situation was making Dariru laugh, though she was trying to hold it back. She should have known Kisame would not have thrown a _real _sword at his teammates.

With a glare, Deidara turned his attention towards the giggling girl before turning back to the blue man. A mischievous grin appeared on the young man's face, "Oh, I see what you're doin', un. You're trying to impress the girl, yeah!"

Kisame was making his way out of the room when he replied, "How do you know I haven't already?" Dariru grinned on the inside, knowing exactly what he had meant, while Deidara just flipped the older man the bird when his back was turned. The girl followed her lover out of the training room, only to be greeted by an aggravated looking Kakuzu.

The first thing Kisame said was, "Don't go in there Kakuzu-san. You'll just get madder."

An angry grumble came from the tan man's throat, his giant hands clenching into fists as he began to mumble something about "going over budget" before turning to Dariru. "Pein-sama wants to talk to you." Everything in her body stopped for a split second, including her surroundings. Why did the leader want to see her? Had she done something wrong?

With a shaky nod, she said, "Okay."

Kakuzu turned his back and began to lead her away from the training room. When Kisame tried to follow them, a stitched hand pushed him back and the man snarled, "Pein-sama wants to see her _alone_." The blue man gritted his teeth but he backed down. He knew Dariru had done nothing wrong, so surely Pein was not asking for her just to kill her.

Right?

Her every step was nervous and shaky; her heart pounded relentlessly against her chest as it pumped adrenaline through her blood-filled veins. What did the leader want from her? She had not done anything wrong! Unless having sex with one of the organization's members is a crime against the criminal's code...then she may as well drop dead now.

Kakuzu stopped in front of a nicely polished door and knocked gently. There had been a silent answer, for the man opened the door and stepped out of the way. With a deep breath, Dariru entered the leader's room before her escort closed the door behind her.

The layout was very similar to the room in the old base. The only difference was the floor and furniture. Gray linoleum tiles had been installed and there was only one rug to cover the bare floor. The bed looked brand new and it did not have as many heavy blankets on it anymore. Pein's desk was a red color, the wood looking smooth and polished. The man sitting at the desk definitely looked more at home than he had in his previous living quarters.

Dariru stood perfectly still, her eyes staring at the man's forehead instead of the gray ringed eyes; figuring that she may lose her soul if she looked at him in the eye. Pein stared at the girl like she were a problem that needed to be solved. The first problem he noticed was her lack of a blindfold.

"Why aren't you wearing the blindfold?" He asked as calmly as he could.

"B-because...I thought I was allowed t-to take it off when I got to the, uh, base. Sir." She added quickly, now realizing what her mistake might have been.

Hands slammed on the red desk as the man shot up from his chair, "DID I TELL YOU IT COULD BE REMOVED WHEN YOU GOT TO THE BASE!?" Her recoil was an amusing sight to the orange-haired man; it made him feel like he was in control of the situation.

"N-no...sir," She managed to say, her eyes looking everywhere else but him.

"Then what made you THINK you could take it off when you got here!?" Again, she seemed to shrink away from him, as if being on the other side of the room weren't far enough away. There was no answer from her for a long time, making the man chuckle to himself. He had scared the words out of her mouth.

With a shaky breath, the girl finally responded, "I...I don't know, Sir."

Though he really wanted to teach this girl a lesson with a fist, he didn't. Unlike the other members in the organization, Pein had to control himself when it came to physical violence. Before the moving process had even begun he had wanted to just kill off the new girl. She would have been nothing more than extra baggage, and that was the last thing the organization needed. However, his woman, Konan, was a little attached to this girl; and if he harmed her in any way that made Konan unhappy, he would never hear the end of it. Not to mention the fact that he wouldn't get laid for months. Sure he could just go to a whorehouse like most sexually frustrated men do, but he did not like wearing condoms. It made his extra piercings feel uncomfortable, and the last thing he needed on his agenda was on how to deal with a STD.

With a sigh, he tried to release all of his anger, sitting back down in the comfortable chair. "Did you ever take the blindfold off during the travel?"

She shook her head confidently, "No, Sir."

He raised a suspicious eyebrow, "Did _Kisame_ ever remove your blindfold during the travel?" At the mention of the shark-man's name, Pein saw a small blush appear on the girl's cheeks. It didn't surprise him; in fact, he knew about the relationship between Kisame and Dariru. Konan had told him everything the moment she had found out the girl had lost her virginity to the blue guy.

"No he did not, Sir." Dariru answered. There were no traces of falsity in her tone or in her expression. It was the truth.

That much seemed to have calmed him down. Pein closed his eyes and began to fiddle with one of his eyebrow piercings. "I suppose you've noticed how nice this new base is?"

She nodded, "Yes Sir. It looks very nice."

He smirked inwardly at the subtle brown-nosing. "Good. Now, Konan has been complaining to me about how filthy most of the men are around here. They also tend to skip meals because they don't have the time to make it themselves, or they're just too damn lazy. I can't really force them to do either since it may hinder their ability to do their real jobs properly. So that's why you're going to do their laundry and cook for them, starting tomorrow."

It felt like someone had just punched Dariru square in the face. First Tobi and now this!? Were she in any position to complain, she would; however, it was because of this insane man's generosity that she was still alive. If she wanted to stay that way, she would just grit her teeth and bear it. And if any of the men started giving her trouble, she would make sure to think of something to get back at them.

With a slight bow of the head, she said, "Yes Sir. But...what about Tobi, Sir?" She wasn't sure if she could watch over the energetic boy and do chores at the same time. Tobi was the kind of case that required undivided attention if one were to keep him under control.

Pein seemed to have frozen for a split second before saying, "Tobi will not always be in the base. But when he is, he will be your top priority. Understand?" A wave of relief went over her, glad that the leader understood how much trouble the masked boy could be. But why wouldn't the boy be at the base? She thought for sure that the organization as a whole would want to keep a close eye on him.

"But if he's not in the base," She started, her curious brain taking over her speech, "then where else could he be?"

"That is none of your business woman!" Pein snapped, immediately shutting down the rest of the girl's curiosity. "You're dismissed." The girl did not hesitate and left the moment the words came out of his mouth.

Now that she was out of that frightening man's office, the girl's mind began to buzz around with questions. How exactly would she go about collecting laundry from the men? No doubt it would trigger a prank or relentless teasing from them, except maybe Kisame; but even her blue lover might pull a joke or two at her new position. She wouldn't mind the joking coming from him, just so long as he didn't make it too much of a habit. In fact, some of the guys may not even believe her when she will tell them of her new job. Perhaps one word about Pein assigning it to her would make them believe?

There was also Tobi...Pein had said that the boy would not always be in the base. Where else could the boy be? Visiting his parents? Of course, that was assuming he had any. Then again, he _is _a part of the Akatsuki organization, which was still hard for the young girl to believe; so, perhaps he would be on missions? But what for? He had never been sent on any missions back at the old base. Why now all of a sudden?

As she made her way back to the entry room, something wrapped itself around her shoulders before squeezing tightly. Had it not been for the excited shriek of the masked boy, Dariru would have thought she was being attacked. "DARIRU-KUN!" Surprisingly, he lifted her up from the ground, still keeping a firm hold on her arms. Since when was he capable of such strength? "Tobi missed Dariru-kun lots and lots!"

She tried to smile nicely, but it came out more as a pained grin as he kept squeezing her tighter. "T-Tobi?" She managed out.

The boy's grip loosened a little, "Hm?"

"Could you put me down, please?" At her request, he put her down and released the hold he had on her little arms. She took a relieved breath and pulled at the bottom of her tank-top, noticing that some of it had risen up when the boy had ambushed her. "Thank you."

Even though he was wearing a mask, she could tell he was smiling like an idiot. "Do you like the new base Dariru-kun? Tobi does!" She nodded in agreement. This new base was nicer than the last one; it actually seemed like a dangerous gang lived in it rather than a couple of lowly thieves. Gloved hands grasped her wrist and began to shake her arm up and down in time with his excited jumping. "Dariru-kun and Tobi should go look at the kitchen! Pein-san says its really nice and clean!"

As he began to pull her in the direction of the kitchen, Dariru gave him a nervous smile. The boy had not referred to Pein as 'sama'. Maybe it was just a little slip up? "Uh, Tobi?" She questioned, but he did not falter in his steps. "Don't you mean 'Pein-_sama_' instead of 'Pein-san'?"

Tobi had stopped so abruptly that she almost ran into him. The grip on her wrist tightened, not with the fear of possibly losing her, but with anger. What was going on between the leader and Tobi? However, the grip loosened the moment it had tightened. The boy turned to face her and replied happily, "Of course! Tobi is sorry. Sometimes Tobi forgets about the little things." Had his face been showing, he would have been smiling. But even Dariru would notice that the smile was forced and fake.

Now she was positive that something was going on between Pein and Tobi. Whatever it was, Dariru did not want to get caught in the middle of it. She hadn't even seen Pein completely angry, and it was a sight she never wanted to see. Not to mention the fact that Tobi might have some weird hidden power; why else would a child-brained man be allowed in such a dangerous group? Unless he was related to one of the members, but there was no way that could grant him immunity. Then again, the only reason she was alive was because Kisame had taken an interest in her and all she had to do was keep the masked boy in line and do a couple of household chores.

For an organization of S-ranked criminals, it was pretty easy-going when it came to letting people stay in their group. Not that she didn't mind, but it was still a bit surprising.

When they reached the kitchen, most of the other members were already in the freshly cleaned and polished eating room. Kakuzu was sitting at the long rectangular table, going through some papers of what Dariru assumed were possible bounties. Itachi was trying to figure out how to work the new coffee machine with Deidara hovering over his shoulder, barking out suggestions on how to work the device properly. Hidan was looking through all of the cupboards, pantries, and refrigerator; obviously trying to find something edible for him to munch on.

The silver-haired Jashinist slammed the stainless-steel door of the freezer close before shouting out. "Where the fuck is my cereal!?"

Even Zetsu was in the room, for his lighter side spoke up, "All of the food has been restocked. Maybe it was pushed into the back of the pantry?" "**Stop raising his hopes.**" The angry, deep voice of the plant man's darker side snarled, "**Pein-sama only restocked the necessary food items. If you want your cereal, go out and buy it yourself, prick.**"

"Jashin fucking damn it!" Hidan screamed, pounding a fist on the brand new counter. "He did it on purpose! That pierced bastard threw my cereal out on purpose! Mother fucking, son of a bitch!"

Dariru had no idea what it was that possessed her to speak up, "I could uh...cook something for you?"

Hidan shot her a suspicious glare while Deidara perked up. "Oi! What about the rest of us, hm? If you're gonna feed one, you gotta feed the rest, un!" Hidan seemed to grin happily at her distressed look as the men in the room stared at her expectantly. Children. All of them were children. Except Tobi...he was more of a toddler. The rest? Children. Spoiled, little, hungry children.

"I'll see what there is to cook with," She sighed, walking towards the pantry as the others resumed in their previous activities. Tobi followed her and stood back as she rummaged through the various cans and bags. "Let's see..." she mumbled, pulling out a can of black olives. "No," she put the can back before pulling out another one, "No...no...definitely not...hmmm..." she stared at a can of re-fried beans as if it held a memory. "Tobi?" The boy immediately stood at attention. "Could you see if there's another can of this in there?" She handed him the can and he nodded.

While he began to search for a matching can, Dariru went to the freezer and opened it. After pulling out a bag of frozen spinach, she found a tube-shaped meat wrapped in a thin layer of plastic labeling. It was frozen ground turkey meat, which she took out of the freezer. The tube was so wide that she could barely touch her middle finger to her thumb when her hand wrapped around it. The girl pulled out a plate and knife before she began to cut off the plastic wrapper.

Tobi came back with two cans of re-fried beans, "Tobi found the other!" He exclaimed, pleased that he was able to fulfill his job and placed the cans on the counter. "Now what?"

Dariru gave him one glance before tossing the semi-wet wrapper into the trash. "See if there's a can of salsa. In fact, bring out all of the salsa cans you can find in there and I'll see which one we can use. Okay?" The boy nodded excitedly before running the short distance it was to the pantry.

Though the girl didn't know it, Kisame was watching her from the kitchen doorway. He had heard what Deidara had complained about and was going to step in until he saw her pull out that wide tube of meat. The sight just set his imagination in over-drive, and he couldn't help but watch her as she continued to work. She had a look of determination on her face once she had pulled out a decent sized pot and pan. Though he wasn't too sure what she was concocting, and neither did the rest of the men, but nothing was burning yet. So that must have counted for something.

The blue man decided to sit down when the girl had browned the meat, which was no longer a tube but a mass of broken-up chunks, and had added the required spices to it. It was actually starting to smell nice, and the others seemed to have noticed the new scent too. Dariru poured the meat into the pot before sending in the salsa and re-fried beans. While the items in the pot began to heat up enough for her to stir, she turned to Tobi and said, "Get the bags of chips please."

The boy complied and came back with three bags of chips; one was full of tortilla chips, while the other two were potato chips. But it did not seem to matter to the girl what kind they were. She turned to Deidara and gave him a victorious smile, "Done."

Hidan was the first to look into the pot and sneered, "What the fuck is this?"

"Dip," She answered as she pulled out same-sized bowls. "You can eat it plain if you want, but it tastes good with chips too."

Just as the silver-haired man tried to stick a curious finger into the pot, Kakuzu grabbed his side and squeezed the spot where the kidneys would be. "Don't do that. That's disgusting." The tan man warned before letting go. Hidan just gave the man the middle finger once his partner's back was turned. Kisame chuckled at the silver-haired man's pain, who shot him a glare and decided to take his rising anger out on the larger man. "Shut it, fish sticks! I hope you're allergic to whatever the hell is in there!"

Dariru paused and turned to face Kisame. She had never considered allergies when she had been cooking; what if he was allergic? Good lord, she could quite possibly kill him because of her negligence! "Are you allergic to anything?" She asked the blue man, moving out of the way so the others could scoop large servings of dip to their bowls.

Kisame was about to answer "no", but Hidan had to cut him off. "That's so fucking adorable!" It was obvious the man was just mocking the two, "Little girlie here trying to act concerned for fish-face!" she shot the man a glare, but he didn't seem to notice. "So what's the smelly-ass chum bucket to you? Probably nothing more than your ticket to escape death. What a fucking self-centered bitch."

"Hidan..." Kisame growled dangerously, baring his teeth. It took all of his self-control to not choke the man; he had promised himself to not let his anger get the best of him ever since the last time Hidan's teasing had got on his nerves.

Dariru, however, seemed unable to control hers. The girl glared down at the Jashinist with anger swimming all over her face, but something strange shimmered in her eyes...to Kisame, it appeared to be mischief or cunning. The girl had something up her sleeve and Hidan was going to be the punching bag.

She put a hand on the table and leaned towards Hidan, her glare never faltering. A small flare of jealousy flickered inside of Kisame, but he pushed it aside when he heard the girl speak. "You wanna know what I think of him?"

A smirk came across Hidan's face, "Sure. Enlighten me." She pulled her face away with the most smug smile on her face anyone had ever seen. Very slowly, she walked over to Kisame, who stared up at her with confusion. He had no idea what she had planned, but he hoped it was something that would be a slap to Hidan's attitude. Which, in a way, it was.

Without warning, the girl sat on Kisame's lap, straddling his hips with her own. He stared at her wide-eyed, wondering if she knew over half of the organization was watching her every move; but his baffled expression eased into relaxation when her lips began to move over his his. Kisame forgot about the other men watching them as the girl's tongue darted over his teeth, making him shove his own muscle into her mouth. A little moan came from her throat, making him want to pull her closer into him had she not pulled away and got off his lap, exposing the slight bulge in his pants.

At first he was going to try to hide his sign of excitement, but he decided not to bother when he heard say, "I'll be in your room. You have five minutes to meet me there before I start reading or go to sleep." With those final words, Dariru turned on her heels and walked quickly out of the kitchen. Kisame sat there for a long time, knowing very well that all other activity had stopped in the kitchen. Without looking at anyone else, the blue man got up from his seat and went after the girl. He was going to force her to finish what she had started whether the five minutes were up or not.

All of the men kept staring at the seat Kisame had once been in, their jaws either dropped or eyes so wide they threatened to pop out of their sockets. They had just witnessed Kisame, one of the least handsome looking men they had ever known, tongue wrestling with a cute girl who was probably half his age. No one knew whether to be disgusted or amazed that the shark-man was able to land a nice-looking woman.

Tobi was the only one who spoke what was on everyone's minds. "What just happened?"


	22. Finish What You Started

Chapter Twenty-One: Finish What You Started

**Author's Note:**** Sorry for the long wait guys, but you know my reason. I'm feeling much better, and though this chapter is not as long as the others, it's full of lemon. And I didn't want you guys to think I abandoned you so I just decided to post this. More will come. And thanks for all of your support you guys! You have no idea how much better I feel XD Well, try to enjoy!**

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Dariru knew exactly which door lead to Kisame's room. If the layout of this new base was the same as the old one, then surely the rooms would be in their same order. As she ran down the living hall, she counted to herself, _One...two...three!_ Her feet halted just in time for her hands to fling to the knob and twisted it open. With an amused giggle, she closed the door as quietly as her excited hands would let her. She took off her shorts in order to take off her black leggings; it was very rare of her to be without her leggings, mostly because she was self-conscious about her legs, so perhaps it would be a bit of a surprise to the blue man to see her in without the black fabric on? As she began to put her tan shorts back on, her eyes began to notice how much larger the room seemed to be.

Not only was the place a bit roomier, but there was more furniture than just the man's bed. There was a desk and chair with a small lamp resting on the desk. Next to that was a small bookshelf that stopped at her thigh, full of thick hard-bound books. There was another door in the room that Dariru assumed led to the bathroom, but she paid no attention to it. Her eyes were fixed on the books, all of their titles she had seen and read more than once in her mother's bookstore...except for one.

With a curious hand, she pulled out the book and stared at its title quizzically. "Hamlet?" she read the name out loud in a whisper. The name was foreign to her, and as she flipped through the pages, so was the style of writing and words used. Perhaps this book was written in a different country? Without hesitation, Dariru sat down at the desk and turned the lamp on, and began to read.

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Kisame had no idea where his room was. All of the doors in the living hall were brand new and every single one of them looked the same. He had gotten so used to just looking for a door with heavy water stains. At first he had tried just opening every door, but he stopped when he walked-in on Sasori making a voodoo puppet of Deidara. The red-haired man had the most sinister smile on his face when he had finished putting on blonde locks of hair on the replica and had begun to grope at its groin area. After witnessing that spectacle, Kisame was more careful in opening the doors.

The third door on the right was the last one on his list. A wicked grin appeared on his face as he opened the door quietly, peering in slowly in case this, somehow, was not the right room. A girl in a red and gray striped tank-top sat at a desk, staring down at something intently with a lamp on for illumination. The rustling of paper told the man she was reading a book. _Damn it, _he cursed to himself as he slowly entered his room, closing the door soundlessly behind him. _I'm gonna have to put a little effort into getting her to stop reading. _

He strode over to her casually, placing his hands on her bare and scarred shoulders gently. Her muscles tensed beneath his large hands from surprise; but when she lifted her head and saw him, her body relaxed and she went back to her book. Kisame bent down and looked over her shoulder, reading bits and pieces from the foreign pages. When he got bored of the strangely written piece, he turned his attention to the girl's neck, placing small and teasing kisses on the paling skin.

"What're you...reading?" Kisame asked in-between kisses, feeling her skin shiver with delight beneath his lips. Her breathing, once steady and controlled, was becoming slow and ragged as she tried to control herself. It made the blue man grin before licking at a faint scar on her shoulder and then kissing it.

"Ha-Hamlet," Dariru breathed, trying to keep her mind focused on the book instead of the man that taunted her sexual desires. She really wanted to keep going with him and break in his new bed...but then again, she really wanted to try to decipher what the people were saying in this book.

Lips pressed themselves gently against her ear before a husky voice whispered, "What's it about?"

She had to bite her lower lip to keep herself from moaning. "The brother of a m-monarch kills the monarch...a-and the heir wants to avenge his f-father's ghost..."

For a moment, the man paused. It was such a cliché storyline in his opinion, but he wouldn't say anything about it. His goal was to get her away from that book. "So...are you bored of reading it?" He tried, hoping she was bored judging by the strange style of writing.

"No way! I'm just now starting to understand how these people speak!" Dariru exclaimed, shooting him a mischievous look before returning to the mass of printed paper that held her attention. If it weren't for the sly look, Kisame would have thought she was serious. But the man knew better than that. He had noticed that her legs were no longer hidden by those leggings. It was a little strange to see her bare legs while she still had clothing on; and yet, it was driving him crazy at the same time. All he wanted was to see more of her bare skin and to have her writhing beneath him. Or atop him. It didn't really matter.

"Alright," he shrugged, turning away to take off his red-clouded cloak, tossing it on the floor aimlessly. The man took his time in taking off the smaller articles of clothing such as his sandals, wrist and ankle guards, and headband. It was when his shirt was finally removed that he decided to break the silence, "So...how far are you?" While she was answering, the man pulled out a small kunai from his pocket, tossing the blade silently in the air before catching its handle. He had blocked out what the girl had said as he dug the blade into the palm of his hand, holding back the wince that wanted to escape. With a grin, he tossed the knife onto his pile of clothes before walking over to his reading lover. "You sure you don't want to...do something else?" Very slowly, he rubbed his bleeding palm gently against her naked arm, the sanguine liquid smearing against the paling skin.

Dariru stiffened at the feel of the warm blood on her skin, staring at the bright red substance from the corner of her eyes. It looked so bright and fresh that it made her mouth water and the heat between her thighs grow. _That bastard, _she said to herself, noticing that he had stepped away from her. _He did that on purpose! _She looked at Kisame, his bare back facing her, as one of her fingers slid itself across the smear of blood he had left before bringing it up to her lips. Very quickly, she sucked the blood from her finger before getting out of the chair.

The blue man was wiping some of the stray streams of blood from the edge of his hand before cold fingers pulled at his wrist, bringing the large hand down to Dariru's waiting mouth. A little tongue lapped shyly at the wound's oozing liquid, making Kisame bite back the moan in his throat. He pulled his hand closer to his body, forcing the girl to follow until she had to press her back against his chest in order to reach the blood her fetish craved for. It was a fetish for Kisame too, probably because of the fact people kept associating him with a shark, but it was just as hot to watch her lick at the wound as it was to taste her own life blood. The heat was just growing more intense inside of the girl, for she started to squeeze her legs tighter together and had even rubbed her butt against his groin.

Without hesitation, the man undid the button on her pants before forcing his free hand down two layers of clothing, making the zipper on her pants unzip to keep from breaking. Dariru moaned against his palm when she felt his fingers rub against her clitoris. It was too much for her; the blood in her mouth and the fingers that were teasing every sensitive nerve in her wet heat just made everything burn up in ecstasy. Tiny fingers pressed around the wound, trying to force more blood out as the man kept sliding his digits in and out of her moistening hole.

"Mmm..." She whimpered against his palm, a small tremor coursing through her as the muscles inside of her tightened, preparing for release. "Kisame..." she said between ragged breaths, her mouth too busy letting out moans to focus on consuming the red liquid dripping from the blue hand. A mischievous grin formed on Kisame's face when he felt her hips move against his hand, urging him to keep going. However, he was not planning on letting her climax; not yet at least. The moment she would be ready to orgasm, he would stop. Then, the real fun would begin.

The criminal's plan was ruined when he heard the faint shuffle of feet outside of the door. The noise broke his concentration, and soon he felt her warm muscles tighten around his fingers. A loud moan would have escaped Dariru had Kisame not covered her mouth with his bloody hand, muffling the sexual sound from any eavesdroppers. He glared at the door, nodding towards it when he saw the questioning look on the girl's face. Very slowly, he removed both hands from her body, using his "clean" hand to put a finger over his lips, silently telling her to keep quiet. She nodded obediently before tip-toeing over to the door; but when she had turned her back, Kisame quickly licked the juices she had excreted from his forefinger and middle finger. The taste sent a delightful shiver through his body and made the tension in his pants more excruciating.

With the utmost care, Dariru placed her ear on the door and immediately heard two very familiar voices on the other side.

"Stop pushing, hm!" Deidara hissed.

The sound of shuffling feet was heard before Hidan's voice snarled, "Shut the fuck up, RuPaul! They'll fucking hear us!"

"Are you two really trying to listen in on Kisame and Dariru having sex?" Kakuzu grumbled, not bothering to keep his voice down.

"Oh please, un! Those two aren't even doing anything, yeah!" Deidara whispered, "We haven't heard a thing from them, hm."

"Yeah," Hidan, surprisingly, agreed, "I told you there was no way that ugly-ass shark thing could get laid!" Dariru glared at the door, wanting very much to open it and punch the Jashinist in the face. But nevertheless, she kept her calm and looked up at the blue man, who stood behind her. He had heard what the two had said, except there was a satisfied grin on his face. Obviously, it amused him that the two men thought he wasn't getting any.

Kisame looked down at her and whispered, "You think we should give them a bit of a show?"

At first, Dariru looked at him in surprise before her wide eyes narrowed into mischief. She leaned her back against the door and said, rather loudly, "I'm not sure. I mean, I did just have an orgasm. You think you can make me have another one?" There was a stunned silence on the other side of the door and Dariru had to bite the insides of her cheeks to keep herself from bursting out laughing. Kisame's grin widened and he stepped closer to her until their bodies were touching. He grabbed her wrists with one hand and pinned them above her head.

He dipped his head down and bit at her neck, his teeth piercing through the pale skin cleanly as little droplets of blood coated his lips. She gritted her teeth at the pain but sighed in ecstasy when his mouth roamed up to her ear. "I _know_ I can make you cum again," he growled, sending delightful shivers through her body. Blue lips covered small pink ones and the girl's tiny arms wrapped around his body, pulling him in closer. He jerked her top and bra up to uncover her tiny breasts before covering one up completely with his large hand. She moaned into their heated kiss as the hand massaged and pinched at her nipple. Again he latched his mouth onto her neck as his hand kept rubbing her sides and breasts.

Through a lustful haze, Dariru unzipped the man's pants and removed the belt, anxious for their bodies to join once again; unaware of the confused whispers of Hidan and Deidara coming from the other side of the door. She could feel how hard he was through the thin layer of cloth that the boxers provided and it made her moisten even more. This would be an interesting experience for her; usually they both climaxed at the same time during intercourse. Since she had already cum, how would their sex be now?

_Only one way to find out, _She grinned to herself as she pushed his boxers and pants down.

Kisame stepped out of the pile of clothes and kicked them aside. He stared down at the girl in front of him and felt possessive of her. This small female belonged to him and only him; if anyone else touched her, he would make them pay dearly. He grabbed her waist and pushed her against the door, making a thumping noise that caused the two men on the other side to jump back in surprise. His hands made their way slowly to her shorts before stopping at the waistband. "There's something in the way," he mumbled in her ear before leaving a lingering kiss on her cheek. She shuddered beneath him and it made him grin; it felt so nice to make her feel an agonizing lust that only he could cause. It made him feel in control and wanted.

Without hesitation, Dariru pushed down her shorts and panties before kicking them aside like her blue lover had done to his own clothes. She looked up at him and could not ignore the fast beating of her heart. She belonged to him and he was the only person who would ever have any form of control over her. Sure it seemed like a bad relationship for the man to be over-possessive of the woman, but Dariru did not mind; not when it was Kisame being the one who was over-possessive. She put her hands behind his neck and pulled him down to kiss his lips, reveling in the taste of his tongue as it entered her mouth.

He could feel the heat radiating from between her legs, making the blue man press into her mouth harder. Until he could not wait any longer, he grabbed her leg and pulled it up until she wrapped it around his hip. He got closer, guiding his waiting dick to her hot entrance. There was a loud moan from her as he slid inside, causing a groan to come from his throat. She was tighter than usual, which must have been the result of her climax just minutes ago. It was making Kisame impatient as he started out in a slow pace, trying to tease her as much as possible.

"I think they're doin' it, un," the sound of Deidara's faint whisper reached Kisame's ears.

"I'm calling 'bullshit'," Hidan mumbled, "It took her a long time to make that moan. They're probably laughing about it right now." At the silver-haired man's words, Kisame drove himself into his lover harder. A surprised noise came from her before it turned into moans that were uttered every time he thrust inward. Kisame grinned into the crook of her neck as her body responded with his. The tightening flesh walls seemed to massage his member as it went in and out, making him utter a noise that sounded like a groan and growl.

He pulled her leg further around his body, trying to get deeper inside. Dariru wanted the same thing, for the girl wrapped her arms around his neck before wrapping the other leg around him. The blue man understood exactly what she was trying to do and grabbed her hips, holding her body as she clung and moaned into him. He made sure to bring her hips down to his fast and hard, feeling her insides clench with delight every time he did. This time, there were no smart remarks from the other side of the door, which only made him bring the girl's hips down harder until she had made a pained squeak; and even then his body refused to slow down. That familiar pressure began to grow inside of him until it was almost unbearable, but no matter how much he wanted to he could not release himself inside of her. There had to be some sort of alternative...

Dariru's arms tightened around his neck and her fingernails began to dig into his skin, piercing through the thin layer as the sanguine liquid stained her nails. The pained whimpers she had been uttering just moments ago turned into lustful moans. "Kisame!" The tone of her voice and the sudden clenching of her flesh around his member told him she was almost at the breaking point; and it was then that the man knew where he would release his seed.

"Kisame!" She moaned louder, making her nails dig further into his skin, "I'm gonna...gonna...Ooooh!" The wonderful feeling of finally climaxing filled her body with a comforting heat that came from deep down inside of herself. She noticed Kisame pulling out and she immediately felt empty; however, the feeling was replaced with shock and a surge of pain when the man started forcing his wet dick into her asshole. There was no time to ask what he was doing before she screamed out from the sudden width her other hole was forced to stretch out to. Not only did her nails dig deeper into him, but they also began to rake across his shoulder blades, creating eight long tracks of red and a stinging pain that the man ignored. The girl thought she was going to be torn in two and did not even notice the warm semen being shot in her ass until he had pulled out of her.

The blue man held her tightly and panted into the crook of her neck, finally realizing there was a pain coming from his shoulders and the small ringing in his ear where the girl had screamed. He had not noticed he had been hurting her; his mind had been too caught up in the moment. Very gently, he placed a kiss on her neck, hoping she would not be too mad at him.

He felt her tiny lips press against his ear in a kiss before hearing her whisper, "I love you." It was then that he knew she was not at all upset for what he had done.


	23. A Mother's Memories

Chapter 22: A Mother's Memories

**Author's Note:**** Bet you weren't expecting an update huh? XD Honestly, neither was I, but I just became inspired after playing that new Naruto game for the 360 with my friend. After that I re-read my fan-fics and decided "I wanna keep going with this :D." **

**I will warn you all though: College has started so this might be the only update you'll get for a while. I'll try to not make the wait so long this time too! ^_^; Plus I've got other fan-fictions that I'm working on and some comics I've gotta finish sketching out _ it's a busy year, but I'll get through it :3**

**Thank you all so very much for all of your reviews and encouraging words! I appreciate every single one of them! X3 **

**Enjoy this over-due chapter! :3**

**Also, the whole "killing off siblings" idea came from my friend :3 **

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* * *

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Atsuko had been accompanied by three kunoichi since she left Kirigakure for the search of her daughter. Her husband had seemed uneasy for not being able to go, but she had reassured him that she would be fine and would return with their daughter _alive_. Though the man had finally let her go, she knew he still had negative feelings. She had pushed aside the memory of his final expression when she had met the three kunoichi escorts.

The three of them were triplets, but the only things they had in common were their facial structure and eye color. All three had nicely rounded faces that made them look like they were in their early-twenties instead of mid-thirties; and their large onyx eyes worked wonders to each one's personality. Aimi had more of a sly look to her eyes, which added more emphasis to the curves of her body and the way she swayed her hips when she walked. Aiko had eyes so wide and bright that it reminded Atsuko of Dariru when she had been a bouncing toddler. Aika had eyes that seemed to be fixed into a serious glare as she stood straight with her shoulders back like a true soldier.

"We'll begin our search where those dead oinin were found," Aika ordered.

It was a gamble; any trace of tracks could have been covered up or obstructed by the time the four of them could get there. Then again, Atsuko was taking a gamble in believing that monstrous criminal has kept her daughter alive for this long.

_Stay strong Dariru, _She prayed as she followed her escorts. _I'm coming for you._

_

* * *

_

Much to Kisame's disappointment, Dariru had been a bit grumpy towards him the next day. His little 'surprise' from the night before had caused a bit of a limp in her stride and had made it difficult for her to sit down without wincing. Not only that, but she had started her new job as the Akatsuki's housekeeper and was being teased relentlessly by Hidan and Deidara.

The blue man would have helped if he knew anything about doing laundry, or cleaning dishes, and if Pein had not forbidden him from trying to help. At the same time, however, he was glad he could not help. Cleaning was not something he'd be willing to do in his free time.

"Tobi get back here!" Dariru screamed.

Charging down the hall was the masked menace, who was carrying a bundle of soggy, soapy clothes. Without warning, Kisame straightened his arm out, catching the boy by the neck. Tobi made a pained gagging noise before falling on his back, throwing the clothes in the air. A pair of soapy white underwear landed on the blue man's head with a big _SLOP._

Soon the short-haired girl reached them with annoyance written all over her face. "Tobi, give me back the clothes." She bent down to grab the wet garments, but the masked boy scrambled out of reach.

"No!" Tobi said stubbornly, "Tobi's clothes are fine! They don't need to be cleaned! Tobi likes them dirty and messy!"

She growled as he got on her last nerves, "Tobi, those aren't _your _clothes. They're Kakuzu-san's."

With a grunt of disgust, Kisame dropped the underwear that he had taken off of his head. Clean or not, that article of clothing had been on the stitched man's _crotch_! "I'm gonna go wash my hands," Kisame mumbled before returning to his room.

As the day progressed, the girl had no time whatsoever to spend on her lover. It had disappointed him, but he made the time pass by training and sparring with his teammates. When night came, and he had finished washing the sweat and stench from his body, Dariru still had not returned back to him. Feeling worried, and lonely, the blue man wandered about the base in the hope to find his companion.

He found her sitting on the floor with her head resting against the rumbling dryer. Her eyes were closed and her breathing calm. Kisame could not help but grin as he walked silently to her. It was cute that she had worked so hard that she had fallen asleep on the job.

Very carefully, he scooped her up in his arms, smiling when she cuddled into his chest. He had never thought of himself as a kind person; being a criminal demanded harshness and cruelty. But when it came to Dariru, he was kinder to her. Perhaps it would have bothered any other man, but not him.

For her, he'd do anything.

* * *

Traveling with the triplets had been uneventful, even when they had to travel over the ocean and across the Fire Country. All they did was ask questions about Dariru from the time of her birth to the day she ran away. It was a bit of a relief talking about the good times Atsuko had had with her little girl, but even she could not stop the few tears that had fallen down her cheeks at the memories. She missed her daughter so much and prayed that she would be able to escape the monster Swordsman's clutches.

The woman could not even imagine how terrified her daughter must be; especially since she was afraid of sharks.

The oinins' bodies were no longer there when the four women had arrived, but their dried blood still stained the earth. Atsuko could barely hold her lunch down when Aimi found pieces of rotting skin.

"Why'd you marry a shinobi if you're so damn squeamish?" Aika scoffed as her two sisters searched the area for any signs of the criminal and girl.

The mother forced down the bile in her throat. "He never talks about such things to me. Sometimes he would have to remind Dariru-chan not to talk about overly bloody fights or training exercises before dinner." A trembling smile tugged at the corner's of her mouth at the memory. "She always got excited over fights. Especially if someone was bleeding..." The serious kunoichi seemed uninterested in the mother's nostalgia, so she kept the precious memories to herself.

She could always tell whenever Dariru had seen an intense fight. The girl would always be grinning from ear-to-ear and would chuckle softly. Sometimes the girl could not sit still when she had to wait for her father to return home. Those two had always shared their gruesome shinobi experiences with each other while Atsuko had to prepare dinner.

"Aiko!" Aika barked.

The sister with the big eyes skipped over with a big smile on her face. "Yes?"

"Have you found anything yet?"

The woman nodded, "I believe so. The tracks are faint, but they came from the forest. Maybe that's where they had set up camp?"

Aika motioned to the mother, "Take Takeo-san with you. Aimi and I will follow this road and see if it leads to a town."

The happy woman saluted her sister in good humor. "Roger that!" She then turned to Atsuko, "Follow me please, Takeo-san!"

The two women walked into the forest and were soon out of sight of the road. The happy kunoichi took her time in searching the ground and foliage for any signs of human disturbance.

"Forgive Aika-ne-chan," Aiko piped after minutes of silence. "She's always like that to strangers. She'll warm up after a few days."

Atsuko said nothing in response and the two were in silence once more. Amidst the rustling of leaves was the faint rumble of a waterfall. Immediately, Aiko broke out in a sprint towards the sound with Atsuko trying to keep up.

When the mother finally caught up with Aiko, the kunoichi was beaming on the shore of a large lake. She looked at the winded woman before exclaiming, "This is perfect! They must have camped near here!"

"W-what makes you...say that?" Atsuko panted.

"It's a body of water! It's the perfect spot to hunt, drink, and bathe! And it's pretty close to the site where the oinin were killed!" The smile on her face reminded Atsuko too much of Dariru. "Your daughter might have left some clue behind at their camp!" Aiko dashed off, following the shore towards the waterfall's roar.

Still out of breath, Atsuko walked after her. She glanced down at the water's smooth surface, which was broken by a fish jumping out to snatch a fly out of the air. The ripples reminded her of the ocean's waves.

The ocean that her precious daughter had become frightened of because of one incident.

* * *

_Twelve years ago..._

The sky was such a magnificent blue with very few clouds drifting along. The sun's rays brightened everything, including the ocean's brilliant, transparent, blue and green colors. Atsuko loved the salty smell and the sound of waves lazily making their way onto sandy shores. She did, however, hate the smell of dead sea creatures that were put on display in the nearby markets. It was one of the many reasons why her family did not move closer to the ocean.

Thankfully, she had a friend who did. And while Daitaro was away on a mission, Atsuko and Dariru had decided to pay a visit to the woman.

"Okaa-san!" A five year-old Dariru beamed as she tugged on her mother's sleeve. "Can I go fishing with Hiroki-kun and Hiroki-kun's Otou-san?" Hiroki was the son of Atsuko's friend. He and Dariru were inseparable and were always playing childish games. It was cute the way the two interacted with each other. It even made Atsuko wonder if the two would fall in love with each other when they got older.

The mother smiled happily at her daughter, "Of course Dariru-chan! Just let me put your hair in a ponytail first." The little girl grumbled in aggravation, itching to get in the little fishing boat with her friend as soon as possible. As soon as the ponytail was finished, Dariru rushed off to the waiting Hiroki and the two jumped into the boat.

While the three were fishing, Atsuko and her friend chatted about the little things. Family, work, children, the possible future. Two hours must have passed before they heard the fishing boat bump into the dock. Instead of hearing the excited voices of their children, the two women heard Hiroki running up to them.

"Okaa-san!" The little boy grabbed her pant's leg and tried to pull her towards the dock. "Okaa-san we need help! Otou-san's hurt!"

"Oh my god," Hiroki's mother breathed at the sight of her husband hunched over in the boat. "Dear!" She ran onto the dock, her son and Atsuko at her heels.

Blood ran down the man's arm like a river, even though his hand was trying desperately to apply pressure. In the boat was a net full of suffocating fish beneath the corpse of a medium-sized shark, which had an old harpoon wedged into its head. Dariru was at one end of the boat, hugging her knees and hiding her face as she sobbed.

Hiroki's mother helped her husband out of the little boat, telling her son to run into town for a doctor. The little boy hesitated for a moment, his eyes fixed on his father's bloody arm. He was broken out of the trance when his mother snapped at him and he sprinted towards town faster than Atsuko had ever seen.

Atsuko crouched down on the dock and held her hand out to her daughter. "Dariru-chan, let's go inside."

The little girl shook her wet head furiously.

"Please? We can get you all cleaned up and have something nice for lunch."

She slowly lifted her head but lowered it quickly when she saw the dead shark. "No! It's still there and it'll get me!"

"Honey, the shark's dead," she tried to reason with the girl, "It can't hurt you. Now come here," she got closer to the boat. The moment her hands touched Dariru's shoulders, the girl went into her mother's arms.

Dariru's arms wrapped themselves tightly around her mother's neck and her legs wrapped around her waist. Normally Atsuko would have told her to loosen her grip, but did not this time; especially when she started to cry into the crook of her mother's neck.

Once the doctor had finished stitching up the man's arm, Atsuko and her friend paid a visit to him. Instead of receiving caring questions, his wife scolded him.

"What were you thinking! You know hunting a shark is dangerous! And there were _children _with you! What if one of them got hurt because of you!"

The man smirked, "We weren't hunting for shark on purpose. The monster just came out of nowhere. And...Dariru-chan was in the water when it appeared."

"What?" Atsuko breathed in disbelief. "Why?"

"She was pushing the net up in the boat from the water," he explained, "All of the splashing must have attracted the shark. If I hadn't put my arm in the way, the beast would have gotten her instead."

* * *

_Current day..._

Ever since that day, Dariru had been afraid of large bodies of water and empty pools. The worst part was the nightmares her daughter had developed. The poor girl would even read late into the night just to keep herself awake.

Atsuko eventually caught up with the kunoichi, who was excitedly jumping around a particular trampled spot. The moment she saw the mother, she ran up to her and tugged her along by the wrist. "Oh, Atsuko-chan! They were here! Both of them!" Aiko squealed in delight and she pointed at a very small pile of ash. "And in here! Come look!" She pulled the baffled woman along into the forest, pointing down at the ground. Twigs and low-hanging branches were broken like a raging creature had plummeted through their sanctuary. "See? Your daughter might have been trying to escape when they had camped!"

The thought made Atsuko fantasize. She could see her daughter, running through a dark forest as her captor slept by the lake. She had to push through the twigs and branches clumsily and noisily in order to make a quick getaway.

Perhaps Dariru had escaped? What if she were on her way home now?

Hope was quickly turned to dread in both of their guts. Aiko slowed to a halt in front of a tree that had a large unnatural dent in it. Its surface had splintered, exposing its lightly colored insides. They both knew Dariru was not strong enough to have created anything like that, no matter how furious the girl might have been.

Soon, the fantasy in Atsuko's head turned into a horror story. Hoshigaki had woken up and found out his hostage had fled. It had not taken him long to catch up with the stumbling girl. When he had grabbed her, she had begun to struggle. To stop her, he had swung a punch but she had ducked and his fist had collided with the tree trunk instead. It must have been frightening for Dariru to witness how strong the man could really be.

A tap on her shoulder brought the mother back to the real world. "I'm sure your daughter is alright, Takeo-san," the kunoichi reassured without any hint of joy in her voice. "Let's go find Aika-ne-chan and Aimi-ne-chan." The kunoichi walked slowly this time, holding the mother's hand comfortingly.

Atsuko tried her best not to cry for her daughter. Instead, she prayed silently for her safety and well-being.

* * *

The hot water would have made most people cringe and wait for it to cool down before putting a toe in; however, Dariru and Kisame found the water's temperature most comforting.

She had woken up and had gone back to fold the clothes in the dryer hurriedly when the blue man had carried the girl into his room. When she had returned, she had suggested the hot bath and had even invited him to join her. Which he did not hesitate in accepting.

Kisame had his back pressed against the bathtub's walls. His arms were wrapped around Dariru's waist as she sat between his legs and leaned against his chest. The water's temperature worked its magic on their overworked muscles and made the world seem less stressful. For now, the world was serene and wonderful.

"I heard that there was a very vicious way of becoming genin once," Dariru started, her voice light and carefree. "Is that true?"

He grunted and chuckled at her need to hear more about some of his violent feats. "Yeah."

"What did you have to do?"

At this, the blue man nibbled his bottom lip in thought. It might be risky to tell her what the instructors had him do in order to pass. But the girl had never thought less of him with all his other past experiences...perhaps it will just be the same with this one?

"I had to kill my siblings," He finally admitted. Her first reaction was not what he expected.

"You have siblings?" Shock was evident in her voice.

He held up a finger, "_Had _siblings. They're all dead now."

She shifted uncomfortably against him, searching for the right words to say. "But...maybe your mother had another kid when you became a shinobi?"

A dark chuckle rumbled in his chest. "She's dead too. She died while giving birth to my youngest sister."

"Oh," Dariru mumbled, "I'm sorry that had to happen."

He splashed water up at her, making her gasp in surprise. "You need to stop apologizing for things that aren't your fault!" The two had a bit of a splashing fight before they finally settled down. The water was starting to cool as time passed.

Dariru's fingers intertwined with his before she spoke cautiously. "You don't have to answer this if you don't want to. But...did your dad take care of you all after your mother passed away?"

"Ha!" Kisame jeered, "Yeah right! None of us even came from the same man." He saw the small blush that coated her cheeks at the realization that his mother slept around.

"O-oh...then...who took care of you?"

"My oldest sister," he explained. "She took care of us more than our mother did before she died." In fact, the man was positive that the memories of a woman holding him when he had been hurt had been his sister. His grip on Dariru's fingers tightened, "But I didn't kill her. One of my brothers did since had the same assignment." A victorious grin began to form on his face, "I got him good though. Just kept punching him until I couldn't recognize him anymore." He felt her hand on his knee and loosened his grip on her fingers.

"I'm sorry," She said once again.

This time, Kisame did not try to correct her. He rested his forehead on top of her damp hair. It took some effort to push back the images of his dead sister, but he did. With a sharp intake of breath, he asked, "Do you ever miss your family?"

She did not answer immediately. When she did, her voice was almost monotone. "Not anymore. I used to during the first few weeks of being on my own. But I got over it."

"Would you go back to them if you could?"

It was her turn to laugh. "And leave you? No way!"

Her answer was not what he had expected. She was still a young girl and must have some sort of attachment to her parents. But to hear her say that she would abandon her family for him gave the blue man a warm sense of joy. He meant so much to her that she would leave her family for him. That was something he had never expected any female to ever say to him.

Kisame hugged her closer to his body, burying his face into the crook of her neck. "Thank you," he mumbled, not sure if she had heard him or not. He felt her lips press against his head tenderly, lovingly.

It was the best thing he had ever experienced.

* * *

Atsuko and Aiko found Aika after a very long walk. The serious kunoichi was staring at the village that was just yards away. The only one missing was Aimi, which made Aiko worried.

"Where's Aimi-ne-chan?" She asked.

Aika motioned towards the village, "Interrogating."

Inside one of the huts was a panting Aimi, who was grinding her hips lustfully against the hard member of a middle-aged man. The kunoichi was not quite turned on by the man's clumsy thrusts and obnoxious groans, but it was enough to get the man erect.

It was a specialty of hers. She knew how to pick out weak-minded men, who would be more than willing to spill their guts out to her after having a bit of fun with her body. Granted it was not the most honorable thing to do, but it was more effective than Aika's unnecessary hostility.

"Oooh!" The man beneath her moaned, his grip on her hips tightening and his thrusts becoming faster.

This was the part when the interrogation began.

Aimi grabbed his hands gently before leaning forward, her breasts pressing against his collarbone. The only thing the man noticed was his penis sliding out of her as she leaned forward more. When she got off of him, he started to complain. Of course, he was silenced when she found her knives.

"W-wha-what are you gonna do with that!" The man stuttered as he stared at the shining blades.

When Aimi knelt down beside him, he tried to get away but could not move. His wrists had been tied to one of the hut's pillars, making him partially immobile.

The kunoichi hovered over his face. A smile graced her red lips as the blade of a kunai glided down his abdomen. "I need to ask you a few questions. If you cooperate, I'll let you finish what we started. If not..." the blade pressed uncomfortably two-inches above the base of his penis, making the man squirm. "Then I can make sure you never have fun again. What do you say?"

It was not a hard decision to make. "I'll behave! I promise!" he exclaimed, "Just don't cut it off!"

Aimi smirked and rewarded him with a quick peck on the lips. "That's a good boy. Now tell me, did a big blue man come by here with a young girl?"

"Y-yeah, he did," the man reluctantly spoke. "He was hurt and we had to take him in."

"And the girl?" She pressed the kunai harder, feeling the tip pierce the top layer of skin.

"Sh-she was put in the same hut as him!" He announced quickly. "Th-they both left the next morning!"

"Any idea where they went?"

He gulped, "There's...there's an Akatsuki base...not far from here. Only a few miles west! Though...it's been abandoned."

The woman's blood ran cold at his words. "How do you know?"

"O-our village would give them crops and animal meat in exchange for protection against bandits. When it was time to trade, no one showed up to take the supplies. It's been that way for two weeks now!"

Two weeks. That girl's body could have been rotting for two weeks in that abandoned base. Then again, there was always the chance that the girl had been taken to the new location as well; however, Aimi had no idea why the Akatsuki would do that. The girl held no value, unless she was being used to fulfill sexual desires. After all, the organization was made up of men. And men do have the tendency to get lonely.

She placed the kunai on the floor before straddling the man once again. "How helpful of you," she whispered huskily. "Now, let me return the favor."


End file.
